Report details what Deshaun Watson settlement means for Browns, contract

After it was learned in September that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had been accused of sexual assault and battery in a new civil lawsuit, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated suggested those allegations could result in the Browns voiding the remainder of the fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract they gave Watson in March 2022. 

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, such an escape is no longer available to the Browns now that the case has been resolved via a settlement. 

"The confidentiality clause undoubtedly means the accuser, who alleged sexual assault and battery in her initial filing, won’t cooperate with the NFL," Florio wrote. "Which makes it virtually impossible for the league to conduct a meaningful investigation...[and] suspend Watson again under the personal conduct policy."

Florio added that it's "virtually impossible for the Browns to use a suspension arising from those allegations as the basis for voiding the remaining guarantees on his five-year $230M contract."

As Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN explained, the NFL won't punish Watson a second time regarding the lawsuits his camp previously settled related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions that resulted in the 29-year-old missing the first 11 games of the 2022 season while serving a suspension. The league reportedly planned to investigate the latest accusations made against Watson, but the confidential settlement seemingly should allow him to avoid a second ban.

Pockets of Cleveland fans were hoping the Browns could void the remaining guarantees attached to Watson's contract largely because he is one of the worst starting quarterbacks, statistically speaking, of the ongoing season. Some are convinced Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is forcing head coach Kevin Stefanski to continue playing a struggling Watson over backup Jameis Winston due to what now looks like one of the worst contracts in NFL history, a deal the franchise has restructured on multiple occasions. 

"If the Browns release Watson in 2025 with a post-June 1 designation, they’d incur $118.9M in dead money and a loss of an additional $46M in cap space," The Athletic's Jeff Howe wrote Tuesday. "If they cut him without the post-June 1 designation, there’d be $172.7M in dead money and a loss of an additional $99.8M in cap space. ...There’s simply no practical way to unload that contract."

As of Tuesday afternoon, Watson was on track to start for the 1-4 Browns when they play at the 2-2 Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday. At that same time, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Cleveland as an 8.5-point underdog against Philadelphia.