Entering today’s game, the Browns had a short-term and a long-term problem arising from the Deshaun Watson contract. If, as it appears, Watson has suffered a season-ending non-contact Achilles tear (it’s not official yet, but the video seems to show something pop), the short-term problem is solved.
The long-term problem remains.
The Browns owe Watson $46 million in 2025 and $46 million in 2026. Every penny is fully guaranteed. That’s (math is hard) $92 million.
Thanks to past restructurings, Watson’s cap number for 2025 is $72.935 million. It’s the same in 2026. And there’s another $26 million that would hit the cap, if he’s released or traded.
The Browns have options. None are good. They could keep him on the roster and let him compete to be the starter. They could keep him on the roster and not play him. They’ll be paying him $46 million next year, either way.
They also could cut him. But they’d still have to pay him. And the cap consequences would be staggering.
Pre-June 1, the cap hit would be an incomprehensible $172.77 million. A post-June 1 release would mean $72.935 million in 2025, but they’d absorb nearly $100 million in 2026.
A trade would be highly unlikely, unless the Browns add significant draft picks to the $92 million that another team would be inheriting. Also, Watson could eat some of the salary to make a trade more palatable, but why should he? He could just dig in his heels and wait to be released — or get paid to not play.
Given the timing of the injury, there’s no guarantee he’ll even be 100 percent by Week 1 of 2025. In the interim, the Browns will have opportunities in free agency and the draft to acquire a replacement.
However it goes, it’s going to be a mess. It already is a mess. And if owner Jimmy Haslam isn’t ready to admit that he made a far bigger mistake than when the homeless guy told him to draft Johnny Manziel.
