Over the last two seasons, QB Deshaun Watson has only played in 12 games for the Cleveland Browns. The team is still tied to Watson for another three seasons. He also has a void year in 2027. Cleveland gave the former first-round pick a record $230 million fully guaranteed at signing when they traded for Watson.
His long-term deal is looming over the team financially. However, this is now the second time that the Browns have restructured Watson’s deal. ESPN’s Field Yates reported that the Browns have converted $44.79 million of Watson’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus. That creates $35.832 million in cap space for the Browns. Their $62 million in cap space is now the largest in the NFL.
Deshaun Watson had his contract restructured for a second time by the Browns
The Browns have restructured the contract of QB Deshaun Watson, converting $44.79M of his 2024 base salary into a signing bonus and creating $35.832M in cap space, per source.
Cleveland now has over $62M in cap space, the most in the entire NFL. pic.twitter.com/KC9hLWQDT8
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 29, 2024
The first four seasons of Deshaun Watson’s career were spent with the Houston Texans. He went 28-25 in his 53 starts and made two playoff appearances. Watson sat out the entire 2021 season due to contract disputes and he was eventually traded to the Cleveland Browns. Additionally, the QB was dealing with off-the-field issues for violating the league’s misconduct policy. To begin the 2022 season, he served an 11-game suspension. He ended up playing six games for the Browns that season.
In 2023, Watson suffered multiple injuries and was limited to six games again. The team was 5-1 in his six starts but they could not rely on Watson staying healthy. Cleveland used multiple QBs in 2023 because of injuries. Heading into 2024, Watson is their starter but who knows how long he will be available. This offseason, the team signed veteran QB Jameis Winston to be the backup. Winston is not threatening Watson’s starting spot but he’s a capable backup if he ever went down. The Browns need to have that type of insurance at QB. Can Deshaun Watson get back to his Pro Bowl form that he once had with the Texans?
