The Cleveland Browns clearly made a poor choice when they traded for Deshaun Watson two years ago, a fact that has become evident now. The issue was finding a way out of Watson’s contract without incurring a significant salary cap hit.
However, according to Jay Glazer, the Browns are revising Watson’s contract. Ari Meirov reported that the Browns “quietly removed a clause” from Watson’s contract during the offseason, which had protected him in the event of a future suspension. This change means that if Watson is suspended again, Cleveland could reclaim his guaranteed money. This development is particularly significant following the refiled lawsuit against Watson, as it could allow the Browns to exit the contract without financial penalty if a suspension results.
Tom Pelissero highlighted that Watson’s contract previously shielded him from losing his guaranteed money due to suspension over the past two seasons.
The Browns acquired Watson despite the numerous lawsuits against him, a move that was unpopular but deemed necessary by the front office to enhance their offense. Since joining Cleveland, Watson has made only 13 starts and has not performed well. His recent game against the Cowboys was particularly poor, reflecting a significant drop from his previous high performance in Houston.
The Browns find themselves in a difficult position due to Watson’s subpar play and off-field issues, and they have only themselves to blame. If they manage to exit this contract in the future, they should consider themselves fortunate and learn from this experience to avoid similar mistakes in the future.
