The Deshaun Watson contract is the albatross hanging over the Cleveland Browns' head. Cleveland is entering year four of his five-year deal worth $230 million to come over from the Houston Texans. Whether it be a never-ending supply of legal issues, an inability to stay healthy, or just a lack of overall great play, Cleveland fans will be dancing in the street the instant this awful contract is off the books.
Watson is not going to play this season as he works his way back from a ruptured Achilles. While the Browns were able to free up some $36 million in cap space, the fact the Browns even have to do this is an ever-present reminder of the worst deal in NFL history. The only contract in sports that is equally as bad as this is the one that Anthony Rendon hardly ever plays under for MLB's Los Angeles Angels.
The latest restructuring to Watson's contract was done to spread out more of the guaranteed money he is slated to make. Watson was thought to be going to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency back in 2022, but the Browns outbid them, the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints in the final minute to win the sweepstakes for his services. He turned out to be a lemon that runs on old sawdust.
With $36 million more in space, the Browns might be able to sign the veteran stop-gap they need.
The Browns have restructured the contract of QB Deshaun Watson, creating nearly $36M in 2025 cap space.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 6, 2025
This contract was all about Jimmy Haslam, but Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski will have to wear it.
Latest Deshaun Watson restructure amplifies Cleveland Browns' mistake
No matter how well Berry drafted players No. 2 to No. 53 and no matter how well Stefanski coached them up, their run in Cleveland will be defined by pivoting off Baker Mayfield for whatever the hell this has been. Yes, this may have been a Haslam-inspired move, but they signed off on it, willingly or not. Regardless, one man owns this team, while the other two work for him. They are not for long anymore.
Cleveland does have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They could use it to take whoever does not go No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans between Miami star Cam Ward or Colorado phenom Shedeur Sanders. Ward has the upper hand to go No. 1 overall, although I prefer Sanders as an NFL prospect considerably more. The sad part is neither are going to elevate the Browns or the Titans.
Where you land matters. There are no great teams picking inside the top 10. Every single one of them has major flaws in terms of ownership, coaching, cap space, or roster construction. Even if Berry and his front-office staff were able to defer more guaranteed money to a later date to Watson, it still does not change the fact that this team won three games a year ago and had to do it mostly without him.
By the time 2027 NFL free agency commences, you can bet your bottom dollar Watson is out of here.