Deshaun Watson’s season-ending torn Achilles does not change the Browns’ dilemma with his contract.
The Cleveland quarterback exited Sunday’s game against the Bengals with a non-contact injury to his right leg and was carted off. On Monday, his injury was confirmed as a season-ending Achilles tear.
While losing Watson will probably help the Browns on the field this year, the injury ultimately does not get Cleveland out of his albatross of a contract. Unless Watson medically retires, he will still have two years and $92 million remaining (plus void years worth $26.9 million in total) on his guaranteed contract, which the Browns gave him when they traded for him from the Texans while he was facing dozens of sexual assault allegations. (Two of those cases remain unsettled.) Watson is just 9–10 as a starter across parts of three seasons with Cleveland, and he appears to have drastically regressed from his Houston days. By several statistical measurements, Watson was the worst starting quarterback in the NFL this year.
In addition to the relief of getting Watson off the field, the Browns could see a short-term cap credit through insurance.
Yahoo Sports reported “some portion” of his remaining 2024 salary is insured. That payout will give the team a cap credit to use for the 2025 season for the same amount. Should Watson’s rehab spill into the 2025 season, the Browns can receive cap relief for the following season, too, based on the number of games he misses.
Watson’s contract came with a nearly $28 million cap hit for this season, according to Spotrac, meaning each game check is for roughly $1.64 million. With 10 games left in the season, Watson is still owed about $16.4 million. The Browns’ cap credit would be for whatever percentage of the $16.4 million is insured.
After restructuring his contract with the Browns before this season, Watson’s deal comes with onerous cap charges if he’s released or traded this offseason. If he’s cut before June 1, his 2025 cap hit would be a whopping $172 million, or a mere $118 million if he’s cut after June 1. In other words, cutting him remains completely untenable. And his poor performance on the field has all but eliminated the trade market for him.
Watson’s injury doesn’t give the Browns a chance to release him without massive financial penalty because the entire contract is fully guaranteed. There are no clauses that get the team off the hook for a fraction of the price for injury or performance.
Should Watson medically retire, which is unlikely, the Browns are not required to pay out the remaining portion of his salary, unless it is a forced retirement due to a medical condition. That would entitle Watson to the rest of his guaranteed money.
Essentially, he is untradable and uncuttable.
The Browns’ having some portion of Watson’s contract insured is better than the alternative, as the Jets learned a year ago after failing to insure Aaron Rodgers’s $37 million contract only to see him tear his Achilles four plays into the season. Had the Jets insured it, they could have seen major cap relief, but instead were forced to foot the entire bill for four plays.
When the Browns traded for Watson in 2022, they sent three first-round picks (and six total picks) to Houston, the last of which was used this past April. While the team appears to be stuck with Watson’s contract for the next two seasons, its 1–6 start has it in prime position to draft his successor.
