Deshaun Watson & Browns Restructure Contract To Lower The Cap Hit

The Cleveland Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson have agreed to restructure his contract, freeing up $36 million in cap space to be cap-compliant before the new football year begins.

Watson, 30, missed all of last season while recovering from an Achilles injury he suffered in 2024. He was supposed to have a cap hit of $80.7 million, which was by far a league high, before the restructure.

The Browns will owe Watson $46 million guaranteed in 2026 after signing a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract after being traded to the Browns.

Watson has hardly seen the field for the Browns due to suspensions and injuries, but the Browns expect and hope Watson to be in the mix to be their starting quarterback next season. In games he has played, he has not been good, posting a league-worst 33.1 total quarterback rating.

He will be competing with Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and potentially another quarterback if they choose to bring one in.

New Browns head coach Todd Monken said he wants Watson in the mix because “anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skill set at an elite level,” hope remains.

“I think you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again, and I think that’s how you should look at every player.”

The Browns still have more work to do and more contracts to restructure before free agency officially begins.