A restructure of Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed contract "could be on the table" in the words of Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry.
Watson was a bargain for the Browns in 2022, the first year of his five-year, $230 million deal. He had a $9.4 million salary cap hit.
Starting in 2023, the three-time Pro Bowler's on-field value will be reflected in his cap number. He'll count for nearly $55 million in each of the next four seasons, thus giving Cleveland an obvious reason to rework his overall payouts.
Per Over the Cap, a restructure would save $33.7 million for the upcoming year, and that money could be spread across the roster or allocated for a marquee addition in free agency.
While the Browns would be getting some short-term financial relief, they'd still have to navigate around the fact that Watson is set to earn every penny of his $230 million one way or the other.
Lowering his cap hit now means Cleveland will pay more later if it maintains the current five-year term.
Not to mention, the franchise is wedded to Watson for the foreseeable future. Cutting or trading him would probably be so cumbersome as to be off the table entirely, even with a contract restructure.
It will be fascinating to see how the 27-year-old performs in 2023.
Watson threw for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 58.2 percent of his passes in his first six games with the Browns. His 38.3 QBR was significantly below what had been his previous career low (61.8).
Rust was probably an issue for a player who was out for all of 2021 and the first 11 games of 2022 amid the fallout from and suspension because of the multiple lawsuits against him accusing him of sexual misconduct.
The veteran signal-caller didn't exactly make a great impression during his first year in Cleveland.
Maybe Watson rebounds with the kind of campaign that justifies, from a football perspective, the unprecedented contract he signed. If not, no amount of salary-cap maneuvering by Berry can fully reverse the extent to which the Browns will be hamstrung financially.
