Tag: cap space

Oct 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) runs from Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (98) during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Reports: Browns restructure Deshaun Watson’s contract, clear cap space

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Amid a salary cap crunch, the Cleveland Browns have renegotiated quarterback Deshaun Watson’s salary, clearing nearly $36 million of cap space, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

With free agency opening next week, the Browns needed to clear $23 million in cap space to become cap compliant. And that made Watson’s $72.7 million cap hit in 2025 a target.

Spotrac reported the Browns converted $44.745 million of his salary into a restructure bonus, leaving Watson with a base salary of $1.255 million. The 2027 season also was voided.

The Browns acquired Watson and a sixth-round draft pick on March 18, 2022, in a trade with the Texans, sending three first-round draft picks, a third-round pick and two four-round picks to Houston.

The team completed the trade despite Watson being investigated in Houston after about two dozen massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct. He signed a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract with the Browns.

Watson, 29, was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with Houston, but a bust in Cleveland.

Because of an NFL suspension following the investigation and assorted injuries, Watson has played in just 19 games (of 51 possible) in three seasons in Cleveland and is 9-10 as a starter. He is expected to miss the 2025 season as he recovers from a second surgery for a torn Achilles.

With the Browns, Watson has completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

The Saints began digging out of a salary cap deficit of nearly $75 million by adjusting quarterback Derek Carr's scheduled $30 million salary. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

All-32 view of salary cap: Commanders flush with cash, Bills bottom out

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Washington leads the NFL with $96.4 million of salary-cap space two weeks before the start of free agency, while the Buffalo Bills are bailing water in cap hell with painful personnel decisions looming.

The Bills and Saints are among teams spared by a massive increase of more than $30 million per team from the 2023 cap limit, which was confirmed at $255.4 million per team for 2024 by the NFL on Friday. The cap counts the top 51 player contracts on the 53-man roster.

Spotrac projects the Commanders to lead the NFL in cap space at $96,443,548 million, but Washington has only 44 players under contract for next season and will owe approximately $35 million guaranteed on a four-year deal to the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.

The Patriots stand close behind at $86 million with 53 players under contract. New England also has a significant draft pick pool to set aside with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft.

Tennessee ($85.2 million), Chicago ($82.9 million), Indianapolis ($74.4 million) and Cincinnati ($74.3 million) are in the top six in available cap space of February 23. But the Bears are likely to commit a significant chunk of change to pending free agent cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and big-ticket free agents are priorities for the Colts (wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.) and Bengals (wide receiver Tee Higgins). All three players are candidates for the franchise tag.

The Saints were bringing up the rear with a whopping $321 million committed to the 2024 roster, an excess of $74.7 million, until the NFL released the new cap figures on Friday.

Their ledger updates officially at 4 p.m. ET on Friday when moves are tabulated for accounting purposes by NFL protocol. That includes the Saints converting quarterback Derek Carr’s scheduled $30 million salary for next season to a bonus payment of more than $28.3 million.

Buffalo is $43.7 million over, and the Saints are now working to reduce their excess of $42 million.

The Dolphins are $24.6 million in the red. The Chargers are one spot ahead of Miami in available money but deep in negative because of an NFL-worst $24.5 million in “dead cap”

Here’s a rundown of salary cap available — spending committed to top 51 player contracts for 2024 minus $255.4 million limit — as of February 23 according to Spotrac:

1 Wash. Commanders $96,443,548
2 NE Patriots $86,806,052
3 Tennessee Titans $85,215,424
4 Chicago Bears $82,943,701
5 Indianapolis Colts $79,250,395
6 Cincinnati Bengals $74,279,511
7 Houston Texans $73,950,247
8 Detroit Lions $65,727,906
9 Arizona Cardinals $57,539,440
10 Las Vegas Raiders $55,476,342
11 Los Angeles Rams $52,345,058
12 TB Buccaneers $48,162,193
13 Carolina Panthers $42,870,624
14 Atlanta Falcons $41,992,153
15 Minnesota Vikings $40,968,007
16 New York Giants $38,916,449
17 Philadelphia Eagles $32,473,778
18 Jacksonville Jaguars $30,147,209
19 Kansas City Chiefs $28,279,105
20 New York Jets $20,462,303
21 Seattle Seahawks $16,105,973
22 Green Bay Packers $12,454,745
23 Baltimore Ravens $12,078,444
24 Pittsburgh Steelers $8,474,099
25 San Francisco 49ers $4,625,837
26 Dallas Cowboys -$3,228,985)
27 Cleveland Browns -$7,721,189)
28 Denver Broncos -$13,022,601)
29 LA Chargers -$20,833,735)
30 Miami Dolphins -$24,636,557)
31 New Orleans Saints -$38,842,847)
32 Buffalo Bills -$41,316,834)

–Field Level Media