How Deshaun Watson's contract will cough up salary cap credit for Browns in 2025 after QB's season-ending Achilles injury

Deshaun Watson's season is over. The former Pro Bowler suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the Cleveland Browns' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8. It marks an unfortunate end to what was yet another difficult season for Watson as the starting quarterback for the Browns.

Following his injury, let's examine how Watson's contract will provide the Browns with some much-needed salary cap credit in 2025.

Breaking down the intricacies of Deshaun Watson's contract

According to Spotrac on X (formerly known as Twitter), $13.9M of Deshaun Watson's 2024 compensation has been insured by the Cleveland Browns. That means that there will be a small salary cap credit for the franchise in 2025.

The report added that these insurance policies are becoming much more prevalent as NFL contracts continue to rise. It's important to note that Watson signed a blockbuster five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Browns on March 18, 2022, following his acquisition via trade from the Houston Texans.

According to Spotrac, Watson's contract included a $44,965,000 signing bonus and an average annual salary of $46 million.

For this season, Watson's salary is set to be a base of $1,210,000 and a restructure bonus of $44,790,000 while having a cap hit of $27,942,678 and a dead cap value of $200,712,678. It's important to note that Watson has a no-trade clause from 2024 to 2026.

How did Deshaun Watson perform in 2024?

Deshaun Watson was having an ordinary season in 2024 before getting injured. The quarterback amassed 1,148 passing yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions in seven games. He failed to throw a touchdown pass in three of those games and never surpassed 196 passing yards.

Watson's below-impressive quarterback play contributed to the Browns' joint-worst record in the league. The franchise has a 1-6 record and is all but out of serious playoff contention. Now that Watson is out until at least next season, it'll be interesting to see what Jameis Winston brings to the table.