The Cleveland Browns tied themselves to quarterback Deshaun Watson as tight as possible when they signed him to a fully guaranteed contract in 2022.
No matter how well or poorly Watson played, he was going to be on the team’s roster through at least the 2025 season and, more likely, through the end of the deal in 2026.
Watson’s historically poor play and consecutive season-ending injuries did not alter that uncomfortable truth thanks to the $92 million still owed him in the final two years of the deal.
Anyone who thought differently was hit with the cold reality on Friday as Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry and Watson’s representatives worked out a deal that added two voidable years to the contract and pushed his dead salary cap numbers to 2030.