On the early morning hours of August 29th ,2024, the news broke that the Cleveland Browns have restructured the contract of franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson. This move clears an estimated $36 million dollars of salary cap space. The overall cap space for the Browns will be over $62 million dollars for 2024 and that will carry over into 2025.  The move was to convert Watson’s $45 million dollar salary into a signing bonus. That clears salary cap space for the Browns this season and next season. But what does this mean for Watson?

Field Yates of ESPN broke story of the restructure, but fans, reporters, and podcasters who closely follow the Browns saw this move coming. This move shows the long-term investment the team has in Deshaun Watson. The Cleveland Browns organization is betting on Watson to play at a high level in 2024. Otherwise, the salary cap exposure is too extreme for the team absorb if they are wrong.

If the Browns are mistaken with Watson and he doesn’t play at the level, they are projecting him to play. The cap exposure for 2024, 2025, and 2026 is about $64 million dollars per year if he is released or not extended. Unless there are void years in 2027 and beyond of his contract years that will absorb more salary cap. Much does depend on the salary cap increase in the coming years as well. I would expect the salary cap in the NFL to increase in the future. Exactly how much of an increase is hard to predict. But I can probably predict with confidence that Watson will not be released. He will probably be extended.

This move by the Cleveland Browns shows the confidence they have in Deshaun Watson and what they expect of him. If Watson delivers for the Browns in 2024? We can expect a contract extension in the 2025 offseason. For over two decades the Cleveland Browns were in quarterback purgatory. This move shows that the organization feels that those days are no longer. Higher expectations will be the new norm and with that so will winning consistently.