Getty Image / Nick Cammett
It’s safe to say at this point that the 5-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract that the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson after trading a king’s ransom for the embattled Texans quarterback prior to the 2022 season is a complete disaster. It’s completely prevented a very talented Browns roster from true Super Bowl contention.
But, with new allegations regarding sexual impropriety by Watson dating back to his time in Houston, news has come out that his contract would not indemnify him against new allegations from a contract standpoint, the Cleveland Browns could be getting a perfectly timed out to the contract.
The original deal between Watson and the Browns included language that wouldn’t void the deal based on allegations regarding improper sexual conduct towards massage therapists from his time in Houston that resulted in league discipline in 2022-2023. Those allegations did cause Watson to serve an 11-game suspension in the 2022 season.
But, new allegations came out this week that alleged violent sexual conduct by Deshaun Watson. According to multiple NFL insiders, if there was a suspension handed down by the league regarding those allegations, the guaranteed money remaining on his contract could be voided.
“The Browns quietly removed a clause from Deshaun Watson’s contract this offseason that would have protected him in the event of a future suspension, according to JayGlazer on FOX. Per the report, if Watson is suspended again, Cleveland could reclaim his guaranteed money,” NFL Insider Ari Meirov said on Twitter in a now-deleted tweet.
Later, Glazer clarified his report that he shared on the FOX pregame show.
“I Think i screwed up how I explained Watson’s contract this AM. There was a clause to protect him in 2022-23 even in case of suspension. I said they took out those protections when they restructured deal in Aug but that was off as they didn’t have that clause in the original deal for 2024-26 MY bad,” FOX NFL Insider Jay Glazer said on Twitter.
Discussion around getting out of Watson’s contract has really heated up this week after a disastrous Week 1 performance that saw him throw for just 169 yards on 45 attempts in a Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Currently, the Browns are on the hook for a $76 million cap hit on Watson’s deal in 2025 and 2026.