Somehow the Cleveland Browns have made the Deshaun Watson contract even worse

The Cleveland Browns made Deshaun Watson’s contract worse.

Deshaun Watson’s contract has been a huge issue for the Cleveland Browns since he signed it in 2022. The deal was originally set up where his first year, 2022, would only see him get paid $1 million. Then from 2023 through 2026, the deal would see Watson make around $46 million. The only problem was, the Browns were in, and remain in, salary cap hell under Watson’s contract.

To open things up for the Browns in 2023, the team had to re-work his deal. It was a stop-gap measure, one that can’t be expected to work in later years. As re-working the deal may have saved the Browns over $30 million this year, it’s going to cost them as soon as next year. Watson will only make $19 million this year, but next year he’ll make $63.96 million. Thereby making 2024 an even worse year for the Browns to maneuver financially.

The Browns will also owe Watson nearly $9 million more if they back out of the deal before 2027. The Browns may be under the cap by $20 million this year but are already $18 million over for next year.

Granted, Amari Cooper’s deal comes off the books, but next year we’re going to see a few more names become “Ex-Browns”.

Deshaun Watson’s contract shrinks the competitive window for the Cleveland Browns

Look at New Orleans, Los Angeles, and soon teams like Tampa Bay and the Chiefs. Eventually, high-priced teams fall apart and get sold off for bits. The Rams are looking at a rebuild, and they were Super Bowl champions not even two years ago. The Buccaneers are going to try their hand at a replacement quarterback and hope to keep themselves playoff eligible, but eventually, those contracts will strangle the team as well.

While the Saints landed Derrick Carr, they also have cut several very talented, very important players over the last three years in order to free up money. The salary cap is very real and it’s really going to hurt the Browns down the road.

Realistically, the team has maybe two years of genuine competitiveness in it. While 2025 is looking wide-open financially, who to say it remains that way? The Browns are mortgaging their tomorrow to pay for their today.

They’re trading away valuable picks and signing bad deals to make this team competitive. That’s a bad way towards sustainability. It might work, but if it doesn’t, then we may have some very dark years ahead for the franchise.