Deshaun Watson to Browns

[KC Hawks]

Deshaun Watson has decided he wants to play for the Cleveland Browns in a stunning change of events, per sources. Watson has informed the Houston Texans that he now is willing to waive the no-trade clause in his contract to be dealt to Cleveland.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 18, 2022

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yes and no.

They still have $145 million in salary cap obligations over the next 3 years and have to keep an eye on that horizon with how they SPEND that money. Because if they turn around and spend that $60 million now (which, honestly, is virtually impossible for them) and enter the 2025 season with the 'regular' $260 million cap while Watson accounts for $72 million of it, that's no bueno.

And where it's REALLY an issue, is if they approach Watson at all for a restructure next season or the season after. His leverage is MASSIVE. And it's a headache of Cleveland's own making.

The cap is something that can always be shirked for 2-3 years. And every time you kick the can, things get just a little tighter.

Cap Hell is a real thing. It's gonna eventually happen to you. But where the 'myth' comes is that Cap Hell should destroy a team for a sustained period of time. It doesn't.

One year of slash and burn can almost always clean a cap sheet. I wouldn't have been opposed to us being more aggressive this season with an eye on just such a season in/around 2027. We just go scorched earth that season and hack away at everyone we can. Accelerate a bunch of shit onto the cap, win 6 games and then jam the accelerator again in 2028.

So is Cleveland setting itself up to be able to release Watson in the next season or two and not be absolutely decimated by the move?

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by RunKC

If your owner has money, then the salary cap is a myth. This Watson deal was supposed to destroy this team and yet they’ve redone it twice and now have the most cap room in the NFL

Nah, the cap still applies. They’re just backdating it. If anything they got away with offering a blockbuster contract before gambling revenue. These new qb contracts on the other hand are gonna make it really hard for teams to keep their loaded rosters.

I kind of wonder if this is a desperation move because watsons arm looks like it’s falling apart and stefanski and a lot of the browns regime are starting to face the pressure of justifying this cursed move

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Bowser

So is Cleveland setting itself up to be able to release Watson in the next season or two and not be absolutely decimated by the move?

Wasn’t his contract fully guaranteed? I don’t think any amount of finessing can really mitigate a fully guaranteed contract like that.

I think that’s why the owners most definitely colluded afterward in declining to give Lamar a fully guaranteed contract.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Bowser

So is Cleveland setting itself up to be able to release Watson in the next season or two and not be absolutely decimated by the move?

I would think the main move was turning guaranteed 2024 money into signing and roster bonus which means the cap obligation gets pushed back to the back end of the contract. Their dead cap the next 2 years is obscene and I’d imagine this just makes the back 2 years of the contract obscene too. I think this just basically guarantees they have to keep him for the rest of his contract

Deshaun still gets paid the same so it doesn’t affect him. Cap wise they just take the hit for that money later

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Bowser

So is Cleveland setting itself up to be able to release Watson in the next season or two and not be absolutely decimated by the move?

No, because the salary is guaranteed.

I mean, in theory they could trade him if they attached a 1st rounder or something to him, but they'd take an $80 million dead cap charge to do it. They haven't really done anything to make that any more or less manageable.

No, they'd pretty much have to eat giant buckets of shit to get him moved. Which they really shouldn't be doing at/near the back end of Garrett's prime years.

They seem to be setting themselves up to push in over the next 2-3 seasons rather than get out of Watson's deal. Then bottom out in 2027.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I would think the main move was turning guaranteed 2024 movie into signing and roster bonus which means the cap obligation gets pushed back to the back end of the contract. Their dead cap the next 2 years is obscene and I’d imagine this just makes the back 2 years of the contract obscene too. I think this just basically guarantees they have to keep him for the rest of his contract

Which, realistically, they already had to do.

This looks to me like an effort to push as much of his money as possible into his void years in 2027 and 2028 before having to take their medicine then while trying to open their window as wide as possible from '24 through '26.

I mean they have a $37 million cap charge for a 32 year old Myles Garrett on a void year in '27. They're looking at a complete tear down in 2 seasons anyway. Might as well do what you can before that time gets here.

[seamonster]

Wasn't long ago this moran was demanding to be some hybrid player\GM for the Texans.