CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In what will likely become an annual tradition over the next few years, the Browns restructured quarterback Deshaun Watson’s massive contract prior to the NFL’s legal tampering window opening Monday at noon.
The move was expected to give executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry the ability to fill needed holes this offseason.
By converting most of Watson’s $46 million salary to a signing bonus, the Browns created nearly $36 million in salary cap space turning a $13.5 million overage into approximately $20 million in cap room for 2023.
NFL Network first reported the restructure of Watson’s contract.
Watson signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract after agreeing to a trade last March. He was scheduled to carry an NFL-record $54.99 million cap charge for 2023.
League rules stipulate all teams must be in compliance with the salary cap prior to the new league year beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m. eastern.
After serving an 11-game suspension as a result of a disciplinary settlement that included a $5 million fine with the NFL amid accusations of sexual misconduct levied in civil lawsuits by over two dozen women while he was a member of the Texans, Watson was largely underwhelming in the six games he played in 2022.
Following a 700-day gap between regular season starts, Watson went 3-3 as a starter where he completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
Despite spending $276.31 million in 2022, the second-most trailing only the Rams at $282.75 million according to figures published by the NFLPA, the Browns rolled over nearly $27.5 million in cap space and have the highest adjusted cap number in the league for 2023 at over $253 million.