The Cleveland Browns have not said if Deshaun Watson will be their starting quarterback for the 2025 season, but they do know he is going to be on their roster, mostly because his contract is unmovable and locks him on the roster.
But they did take some steps on Friday to ease the burden of that contract and potentially give them more flexibility to build a competitive team in 2025 and future seasons by restructuring his contract.
Watson is not losing any money and will still collect the $92M in guaranteed cash he is owed over the next two seasons. What the rework does, however, is makes it easier for the Browns to move on after the 2026 season.
The new reworked contract reportedly includes two additional void years that helps the Browns push out his dead salary-cap money through the 2030 season.
Had the Browns released Watson this offseason, it would have resulted in a $172M dead-cap hit, which would have made it nearly impossible to build anything even remotely close to a competitive roster.
When the Browns acquired Watson prior to the 2022 season, they signed him to a five-year, $230M contract extension that was fully guaranteed. Given his off-field issues and the fact he had barely played football over two years, it was immediately considered one of the worst contracts ever given out in NFL history. Nothing Watson has done during his first three years with the team has changed that perception.
He has started just 19 games during that time, with the Browns going only 9-10 in those games. He has also been one of the least productive quarterbacks in football.
He is currently sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 season due to an Achilles injury.
The question the Browns have to figure out is whether or not they want to give him another chance as a starter next season or if they bring in another quarterback.
The Browns have to pay him either way.
They have to keep him on the roster.
But if they can find an upgrade, whether it be in the draft, a free agent or in a trade, they have to at least consider all possibilities.
They are facing immense pressure to win, with their best player — Myles Garrett — already suggesting that he needs to see some sort of a concrete plan on how they can compete before he decides his future with the team.
