Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns
Getty
Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns
The one comfort that can be attached to the Cleveland Browns $230 million mega-contract with quarterback Deshaun Watson, often labeled the worst deal in the history of the NFL, is that it’s almost over. Well, not completely over, but the Browns are at least in position to waive Watson at some time in 2027, and while that might seem far off, it is at least a light at the end of the tunnel.
In the meantime, the Browns have done what they can to restructure and reconfigure the deal in whatever ways possible to push the money that was guaranteed to Watson–that is, all of it–into the future and spread out the pain while creating cap space in the short term.
The Browns need to do just that no matter how they approach the rest of the roster, whether at quarterback or elsewhere. But with the possibility lingering that the team could make a run at free agent Malik Willis, or make a trade for Colts castoff Anthony Richardson, it’s important that Cleveland rework what they can of Watson’s deal.
Browns Can Free $40 Million With Deshaun Watson Restructure
And, according to beat writer Zac Jackson of The Athletic, they will do just that. Watson is slated to have a cap hit of $80 million this season, and the Browns can’t afford to let that stand. Jackson wrote on Tuesday that a move to spread about half of that hit into the future is imminent.
Writes Jackson: “Watson is under contract for one more season after he sat out all of 2025 while recovering from a twice-torn right Achilles tendon. The Browns are expected to open around $40 million in salary-cap space by restructuring Watson’s contract at some point over the next several days.”
Malik Willis #2 of the Green Bay Packers is an expected Cleveland Browns target.
Getty Malik Willis #2 of the Green Bay Packers is an expected Cleveland Browns target.
Browns Have Moved $50 Million Forward
The Browns have already been moving money on Watson’s contract, and the fact is, even if he had been playing like an All-Pro, the team probably would be doing much the same thing. The problem with Watson’s money is not so much the size of the payout, but the fact that it was all guaranteed, meaning that if the guy tore his Achilles tendon twice, there was no way of moving off that cash.
The Browns have, according to Spotrac, already moved $50 million of Watson’s contract into future cap hits, beginning with $25 million in 2027, $17 million in 2028 and $8 million in 2029.
Deshaun Watson Likely to Get a Chance at QB1 Job
As for what’s next at quarterback, Jackson–and other Browns reporters–have indicated that all options are open to the Browns, who will have Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson on the roster, and could keep Dillon Gabriel as a backup.
A Willis signing would mean he gets the QB1 job, and the team would have to figure out what to do with Sanders and/or Gabriel. While the possibility of a trade for, say, Mac Jones from the 49ers seems to have dissipated, that kind of deal would mean he is the 2026 starter, too.
Everything else, though, probably would yield an open competition, with Sanders and Watson both getting a chance to be the QB1 in Week 1. That includes a lower-level free-agent signing (Justin Fields?), as well as a draft prospect.
Ty Simpson is a possibility to land in Cleveland, but it is unclear that he is ready to be an NFL starter right out of the gate–he would likely have to beat out Watson, and Sanders, for the job.