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Browns Make Critical Adjustment To Deshaun Watson's Contract
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Browns Make Critical Adjustment To Deshaun Watson's Contract

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Spencer German  |  Last updated Mar 6, 2025 9:28 AM ET
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Andrew Berry started working his magic on Thursday in an effort to get the Cleveland Browns back under the salary cap.

In an expected move, the Browns' general manager executed a restructure of embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson's contract in order to create nearly $36 million in salary cap space.

ESPN's Field Yates was the first to report the Browns' salary cap maneuver. Berry converted $44 million of Watson's base salary number for 2025 into signing bonus money and added a void year onto the end of the deal.

By doing that, Cleveland can spread the restructured money out over the course of the remaining years, which – including the dummy years – runs through 2029. Berry has essentially created a longer-term financial burden to provide some short-term relief.

It's also a move Berry has utilized in each of the last two offseasons, and it comes with less than a week to go until NFL free agency officially opens up at 4 p.m. next Wednesday, signifying the start of the new league year.

After factoring in the team's rollover cap space from 2024 and the dead money they must account for this season, the Browns currently have about $13 milion in space to use leading into next week.

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This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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