03-20-2022, 03:44 PM
(03-18-2022, 07:18 PM)michaelsean Wrote: They have definitely mortgaged their future to win soon
How much cap space did the Browns have?
They actually picked up cap space with Watson over Barker this year, about $8M this year.
But wait, there's more.....
https://overthecap.com/player/deshaun-watson/5596/
This contract is going to decimate them starting in 2023. He's going to count $55M/year against the cap for the last 4 years. Patrick Mahomes doesn't ever count that much against the cap except for one year, 2027.
https://overthecap.com/player/patrick-mahomes/5594/
Josh Allen never does
https://overthecap.com/player/josh-allen/6892/
Matt Staffords new contract comes close but not until 2024 after his guarantees are exhausted.
https://overthecap.com/player/matt-stafford/1060/
And with all of that money being guaranteed, there's no way out of it. Cutting him wont work. Just look at the dead money column. Brutal.
And if he suffers an injury that affects his ability to play at the level that he's used to? Too bad, they're stuck with him until the end.
This actually happened with the Steelers and Roethlisberger last year. It was obvious in 2020 that he wasn't the same after the elbow injury, but him retiring or them releasing him would've cost more in cap space than keeping him on the roster because of the accelerated signing bonus money (guaranteed). Im convinced that's why he took a pay cut and extension, to ease the hit on the Steelers. I think they were probably ready to move on after 2020 but couldn't, and thus....2021's pathetic show.
Also, with that much guaranteed money, what incentive does Watson have to restructure/extend his contract in 2024 or 2025 in order to give them cap space. And even if he did, Im not so sure how much it would help unless they threw a ton more money at him. Im sure having just come off of 4 years in a row on $46M, he'll want a nice raise.
This contract is definitely a huuuge risk for them. I guess if they win a SB it will be all worth it. If not, they're wrecked for years.
(03-19-2022, 12:28 AM)CarolinaBengalFanGuy Wrote: Speaking of guaranteed money, if he were to get into trouble again they would be able to void that money wouldn't they?
Im sure they could recoup some but Im not so sure how that would affect the cap hit....which is brutal.
