• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Deshaun Watson’s Achilles Tear Doesn’t Solve Browns’ $92 Million Problem

  • Watson is still owed $92 million over the next two seasons. 
  • Releasing him before June 1 would cost the team $172 million against the cap. 
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

Fox Extends Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson Contracts Ahead of NFL Season

Changes are coming at Fox, but Andrews and Thompson stay put.
Chelsea

Chelsea Club World Cup Run Banks at Least $100M for Mark Walter..

The Blues will likely take home between $100 million and $120 million.
TSU Hockey at Bridgestone

Tennessee State’s HBCU Hockey Ambitions Delayed at Least a Year

The school will not launch the first-of-its-kind program as intended.

Has the WNBA Outgrown the Matinee Madness of Camp Days?

Caitlin Clark will return from injury in a Wednesday noon game.

Featured Today

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
Jul 1, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at PNC Park.

MLB ASG Missing Many Highly Paid Stars, Clearing Path for Youth

Many of MLB’s top earners are not part of the Midsummer Classic.
July 8, 2025

Draymond Green Says He Should Be Union President in NBA CBA Rant

The NBPA president is CJ McCollum.
Jonas
July 8, 2025

Jonas Valančiūnas Is Cryptic About Nuggets Standoff in Lithuania

The Nuggets expect Valančiūnas to honor his NBA contract. 
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Enzo Fernandez
July 8, 2025

Chelsea Players Hawk Club World Cup Tickets on Instagram As Prices Plunge

The semifinals are set for weekday afternoons in New Jersey.
Dewanna Bonner
July 8, 2025

DeWanna Bonner Signs With Phoenix Mercury After Fever Saga

Bonner will rejoin the franchise where she won two titles.
July 7, 2025

How Bradley Beal Buyout Would Save Suns $230M, and What’s Next

Beal has two years and $110 million remaining on his deal.
July 7, 2025

An FSU Amateur Golfer Beat the World’s Best—but Can’t Accept $79K Prize

Top-ranked amateur Lottie Woad won the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.