Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson may not take another snap for the organization, after rupturing his Achilles tendon Sunday afternoon and undergoing season-ending surgery, but, don’t expect the Browns to move on anytime soon.
While it is entirely possible that the Browns will select a young quarterback high in next spring’s NFL Draft or make a splash in free agency at the position, Watson’s fully-guaranteed contract makes it almost inconceivable that he won’t be on the roster when the 2025 NFL season kicks off next fall.
That’s because, like everything else for Cleveland since agreeing to a fully-guaranteed contract with Watson worth upwards of $230 million, his cap hit makes moving on cost prohibitive.
Watson’s cap hits over the next two seasons are insanely high.
Inside Deshaun Watson’s Cleveland Browns Salary Cap Number
After counting $27.9 million against the cap in 2024, Watson’s cap hits balloon to $72.9 million each season through the 2026 campaign.
That’s not all … If Watson is released or traded, the Browns would absorb an additional $26 million cap hit.
Even if the Browns would like to turn the page from Watson’s wildly disappointing and injury-riddled tenure in Cleveland, there is simply no mechanism in place to actually release him over the next two seasons.
Compounding the Browns’ problems, Cleveland is currently slated to be just $2.4 million under the cap in 2026, with the least amount of spending flexibility in the league.
So, it seems that even if the Browns would like to go in a different direction at quarterback, the most likely outcome may be paying Watson $145.8 million against the cap to hold a clipboard as the backup the next two seasons.
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