Three years into his 5-year $230 million fully guaranteed contract, QB Deshaun Watson finds himself in a precarious situation… one that saw the organization trading three first-round picks before the 2022 season, and for what? Well, for starting just 19 games in three seasons so far. That’s got to be a deal of the worst kind in NFL  history! In short, an 11-game suspension due to a legal run-in in 2022 and season-ending injuries in the successive seasons later, the 29-year-old now tallies 1-6 as a starter in 2024 before his Achilles tendon rupture in October… which overall translates to the Browns’ offense ranked last in the league. It’s time that the front office addresses this, and address, they did.

According to the NFL insider, Ian Rapoport, both sides have agreed to it in hopes to not firing a hole in Watson’s pay or modifying his salary structure but rather allowing them to ease into the financial impact of the contract. The Browns still owe $92 million for 2025 and 2026 but what the restructuring intimates is should Watson remain on the team through 2026, the restructure will give Cleveland the necessary wiggle room to spread dead money over multiple years instead of taking one huge cap hit in 2027. What does this mean?

Well, let’s face it. Watson’s five-year deal has been the worst kind in NFL history, and the Browns need to think ahead if they hope to scramble a better outcome next season. Thinking short-term with a pending series of offseason decisions to see an otherwise expensive and aging roster is the most practical realization for now, considering the Browns can’t afford to lose their defensive end and the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. The 28-year-old, who still wants to remain loyal to the Dawg Pound, had a balanced ask to the decision makers:

“I’m not trying to rebuild,” he said. “I’m trying to win right now. And I want that to be apparent when the season is over and we have those discussions. I want them to be able to illuminate, illustrate that for me so that can be something I can see in the near future. Because that’s all we want to do. I want to stay loyal to a team that showed loyalty to me and faith in me by drafting me. But we have to do, at the end of the day, what’s best for us.” Reasonable, no? But there’s more.

The highlight was when Garrett, who has played in just three playoff games since Cleveland selected him as the top pick in the 2017 draft, was willing to stay, doesn’t matter if they decide to go with Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the solution for the starting QB position or someone else, as long as it gets “drawn out; There’s got to be a plan of action.” And Browns attempting a restructuring Watson’s contract is a well-intended reassurance to Garrett’s career aspirations. On top of the fact that he’s a real asset, when we say they can’t afford to lose Garrett, we mean that literally. You see, he has two years remaining on the five-year extension he signed in 2020, meaning a new deal in the offseason could provide the Browns much-needed cap relief.

According to Spotrac, his original contract had a $99.8 million dead cap in 2026. However, after restructuring, Deshaun Watson will carry a significantly lesser cap hit of $37.1 million in 2025 and $46.1 million in 2026. It would allow them to sign new talent as they have pushed the $89.5 million two years beyond his contract. After the contract reshuffle, the Browns shared an injury update on Instagram. Considering the signal caller is the most important position on gridiron, the moment becomes pertinent in their offseason plans. .

Deshaun Watson gives injury update on social media

Just two days after Christmas, Deshaun Watson looked all happy while posing for photos. With sunglasses on, he smiled, showing he was in good spirits. He even captioned the Instagram post, “Back On My Feet! MOREGLORY!” It was enough to cheer up the QB’s fans. They are happy to see the positive attitude of their quarterback.

For the Browns, it’s a huge development. They have missed him since the week 7 matchup against the Bengals when he suffered an Achilles injury. He amassed 1148 yards in 7 games with 5 TDs, before getting injured. Backup QB Jameis Winston has performed the signal-calling duties since then, as he had 2121 yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games. Also, he got sacked 24 times and had 12 interceptions. Hence, everyone in the locker room believes that they would have had more success if Deshaun Watson had been there.

Overall, the Browns have come into action mode. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of changes they would make once the season gets over. It would be interesting.