Tag: restructure

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

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) goes down with a non-contact injury to his lower leg in the second quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in downtown Cleveland on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024.

Report: Deshaun Watson, Browns agree to restructure contract

Posted on | by Field Level Media

In a move that hints at quarterback Deshaun Watson remaining with the Cleveland Browns next season, he and the club reportedly have agreed to restructure his contract.

Watson, who signed a fully guaranteed five-year deal worth $230 million when the Browns traded three first-round draft picks for him before the 2022 season, is still owed $46 million per season through 2026.

The restructure aids the team by adding two more void years to the contract, on top of two void years that were included initially. That lets the Browns extend his dead salary cap through the 2030 season, ESPN reported Friday.

Despite those void years, Watson would still be a free agent before the 2027 season.

After injuries and legal issues — which led to an 11-game suspension — sidelined Watson for the 2021 season and most of 2022, the three-time Pro Bowl selection has struggled mightily in Cleveland.

In 19 games, all as the starter, Watson has completed 61.2 percent of his passes, well below his average of 67.8 percent with Houston. He has thrown 19 touchdown passes but also 12 interceptions, also well below his Houston ratio of 104 scores to 36 picks.

Watson was lost for the season on Oct. 20 with a torn right Achilles tendon, the second straight year that an injury cut his season short. He missed the final eight games of 2023 due to shoulder surgery.

The Browns finished second in the AFC North and made the playoffs last season, ending a run of 15 straight seasons either third or fourth in the division. They are 3-12 this season and again in last place in the division.

–Field Level Media

October 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin (70) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys G Zack Martin adjusts contract for cap relief

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Seven-time All-Pro guard Zack Martin restructured his contract with the Dallas Cowboys to provide the franchise roughly $13 million under the 2024 salary cap, according to multiple reports.

Martin received an amended contract prior to the 2023 season that included $36 million guaranteed and made him third in the NFL in annual salary at his position. Martin’s contract is scheduled to expire after the upcoming season, but his new deal includes three voidable years to allow for spreading out a dead-money charge over multiple seasons, ESPN reported Friday.

Martin turns 34 in November, and the Cowboys expect changes on the offensive line with left tackle Tyron Smith likely to move on after spending 10 seasons on the same front five as Martin, a first-round pick in 2014.

Smith was drafted in the first round in 2011 and has played only for the Cowboys during his NFL career.

–Field Level Media