Dawgs By Nature on Deshaun Watson

ArticleDeshaun Watson’s contract: Browns can release him, but huge salary cap pain in...
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Cleveland owes $127 million (give or take a few dollars) on the salary cap for Watson...If the Browns cut him today, or anytime during the season, they would then have the following salary cap hits: 2026 $40.9 million 2027 $86.2 million
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Watson's $86.2M dead cap in 2027 would be second-worst QB release in NFL history.

Watson carries a $127 million salary cap obligation for the Browns in 2026. If released immediately, he creates $40.9 million dead cap in 2026 and $86.2 million in 2027—the second-most expensive QB release in NFL history after Tua Tagovailoa's $55.4 million hit. If retained through 2026 and released post-June 1st, the cap charges spread to $40.9M (2026), $36M (2027), and $51.5M (2028), still totaling the same amount but reducing the 2027 burden to $36 million. The source notes the Browns will have approximately $50 million in cap space in 2027 assuming a post-June 1st release, but an immediate release would eliminate that flexibility entirely.

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