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Browns clear $34 million in salary cap space with one simple move
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- Browns clear $34 million in salary cap space with one simple move
The Cleveland Browns just added $34 million in cap space to their total amount of salary cap money to spend with one move. Restructuring the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson , the Browns have dropped his cap hit from $80 million to $46 million for the 2026 season.
The Browns are currently listed at $17 million in the red after trading for right tackle Tytus Howard from the Houston Texans . However, they are only listed as such because Howard's contract extension with the Browns cannot kick in until the start of the new league year on Wednesday, March 11. When it does kick in, it will bring Howard's base salary back down to the veteran minimum as every extension the Browns execute plays out.
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Given how the Browns have executed contract extensions in the past, look for Howard's base salary to be the veteran minimum of $1.3 million, with part of his guaranteed bonus prorated in 2026. If you look at Denzel Ward 's contract extension back in 2022, he had a veteran minimum base, and the Browns tagged $4 million of his bonus on the first year of his contract, leaving him with a cap number of just $5 million in the first year of his deal.
Look for a similar structure and year-one cap hit for Howard.
Now with the Watson restructure, the Browns have cleared another $34 million in cap space.
What is next for Watson and the Browns, then?
Some will think that restructuring Watson's contract again will prolong his roster spot for another year. This is not the case, however. Barring a miraculous turnaround under a new head coach in Todd Monken this year, this will be Watson's last year in Cleveland.
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The OBR's Jack Duffin is a superstar at all things Browns salary cap, and he estimates that when the Browns restructured Watson's deal last year, they added a "dummy year" to the contract after the 2026 season. This is not an extension, but just some shifty financial maneuvering to spread out Watson's cap hits another year.
Duffin projects the Browns will cut Watson at the end of the 2026 season with a post-June 1 designation, then spread out his dead cap between the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The Browns would be set to eat $35.8 million in dead cap in 2027, then $53 million in dead cap in 2028. It is worth mentioning, however, that just as the Denver Broncos did with Russell Wilson , this is manageable for two reasons.
First, the Browns will likely be selecting a quarterback, and quite high, in the 2027 NFL Draft. This means they'll have hope of a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract to help offset the cost of the quarterback room. Secondly, the salary cap continues to rise exponentially. So, if it continues to rise at this rate, the cap will likely be over $320 million in 2027 and over $340 million in 2028. That helps a ton.
How the Browns can still clear more salary cap space
There are still plenty of ways to clear more cap space for the Browns. There is still one star on the roster who has wiggle room in their contract to restructure. That would be cornerback Denzel Ward. If the Browns restructure Ward's contract, they can bring his cap number for the 2026 season down from $32.9 million to $17.3 million, clearing another $15.6 million in cap space.
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A reminder that contract restructures are not paycuts. This is essentially converting base salary (counts against the salary cap) into bonus money (doesn't count against the salary cap). A Ward restructure would then bring the Browns from an estimated $29 million in cap space, where they are now, to around $45 million in cap space.
The impending decision of Joel Bitonio will give the Browns relief one way or the other as well. As it stands, the Browns are tasked with $23.5 million in dead money this season if Bitonio signs with another team. That is not going to happen, however. The likelihood that Bitonio plays for anyone other than the Browns is next to zero. So, if the Browns re-up Bitonio for another year, that void money gets pushed back.
If Bitonio retires, it is standard practice for a retiring player to sign a one-year extension for the veteran minimum, then officially retire after June 1. This would then push all of that dead money owed via void years to 2027 (again, into a rising cap number) instead of 2026. That would add a massive amount of money back into the pocket of the Browns and push their salary cap total closer to $70 million.
Now, the Browns will carry over a large chunk of that. They tend to hang onto around $30 million at the end of the season to rollover into the next year. This will help cover some of the dead cap money they are accruing. This includes the prospective $35 million from Watson in 2027, and the $23 million from Bitonio that will likely be bumped to 2027 (although it could be bumped to 2028 if he opts to play another year).
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The Browns are also still expecting some, negligible but some, money in the form of injury insurance policies on both Watson and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
This still leaves the Browns with around $45 million to spend in free agency. That is plenty of wiggle room to play with, especially considering the year-one cap hit on any free agent is going to hang around $5-6 million for any higher-end player, with reserve players and depth pieces hanging around the veteran minimum.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns restructure contract of Deshaun Watson; clear gobs of cap space
