With their coaching staff now in place, the Cleveland Browns are shifting gears into the next phase of the offseason. And let’s be honest-there’s no mystery about what tops the to-do list.
Deshaun Watson’s contract looms over everything. The quarterback is set to carry the largest cap hit in the NFL for 2026: a staggering $80.7 million.
That’s more than a quarter of the Browns’ projected cap space tied up in one player-one who hasn’t taken a snap since Week 7 of the 2024 season and is still working his way back from a second Achilles tear. It’s a number no front office can afford to leave untouched.
The Browns have been here before. For the third straight offseason, general manager Andrew Berry is expected to restructure Watson’s deal, converting a large chunk of his $46 million base salary into a signing bonus.
It’s a cap-smoothing move that’s become routine in Cleveland, and this year it could clear nearly $36 million in space. On paper, it’s a simple fix.
But the long-term implications are anything but.
Former NFL agent Joel Corry laid out the harsh reality: Cleveland isn’t in cap jail just yet, but they’re locked into Watson’s contract through a maze of restructures, void years, and dead money that will haunt the team well beyond the quarterback’s final days in a Browns uniform.
The Browns added void years to Watson’s deal back in December 2024, a move designed to stretch out the financial pain. The roadmap is already drawn-Cleveland is aiming for a post-June 1 release in 2027. That would allow them to split a monstrous $86.2 million in dead cap charges across two seasons: $34.6 million in 2027 and $51.5 million in 2028.
That’s the light at the end of the tunnel-but it’s still a long, expensive tunnel. And the Browns have no real off-ramps.
Cutting Watson outright isn’t an option. That would trigger a cap hit north of $130 million, an unthinkable number.
A post-June 1 release this year? Still not viable-it would still leave Cleveland with that $80.7 million hit for 2026 and another $50.4 million in 2027.
Trading him? That’s a nonstarter too.
Watson holds a no-trade clause, and even if he waived it, the Browns would still be saddled with the same massive cap hit. Combine that with the fact that he’s coming off major injuries-including a fractured glenoid bone in his throwing shoulder that limited him to just six games in 2023-and there’s simply no market for him.
So, the Browns are locked in. The only play left is to ride it out, restructure the deal again, and wait for 2027.
That doesn’t mean there’s no hope on the field-at least not yet. New head coach Todd Monken is reportedly intrigued by Watson, largely based on past matchups when Monken coached against him.
There’s a belief that if Watson can somehow tap into the form he showed in Houston, he could still make an impact. But that’s a big if.
We’re talking about a quarterback who’s had two major lower-body injuries and a shoulder fracture in the span of three seasons. The road back to anything close to his Pro Bowl level is long and uncertain.
The Browns can frame this as a prove-it year for Watson under a new offensive system, and maybe Monken’s scheme gives him a better shot. But financially, the writing’s been on the wall for a while now.
This isn’t about hope or upside anymore. It’s about managing a contract that’s become one of the most complicated-and costly-in NFL history.
Cleveland made their bet back in 2022 when they traded a haul of draft picks and handed Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. That decision set this entire timeline in motion. And barring a miraculous turnaround, the final chapter is already scheduled: a release in March of 2027.
Until then, the Browns will keep restructuring, keep absorbing cap hits, and keep hoping for a spark that might never come. The Watson saga isn't over yet-but the ending feels all but written.