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The Cleveland Browns made headlines not only for their acquisition of embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson, but also for the details of the monster contract they inked with him shortly after the deal. Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns, but the terms of the deal caused many to question the Browns' motives. In a move commonly used by other teams, Cleveland lowered Watson's base salary to $1,035,000 in the first year of the deal, with the salary ballooning to $46 million in the second year. Many felt that the move was an intentional one made by the Browns to minimize the financial hit that Watson would take in a potential suspension by the NFL. General manager Andrew was asked about that matter and offered an eye-opening take, via Pro Football Talk of NBC Sports.
Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said the contract giving Watson a huge $44.965 million signing bonus and a minimum base salary this season of $1.035 million was not intended to minimize Watson’s financial losses from a suspension. Berry said it was just a part of the Browns’ salary cap management.
Andrew Berry denied any intent on the part of the Browns to minimize any financial losses that Deshaun Watson would accrue in a suspension. After all, the former Texans star isn't facing any criminal charges but could still face punishment from the league.
To Berry's point, many teams around the NFL structure contracts in such a way to minimize the cap hit in the first year to make team building easier. That seems like what the Browns did here with Watson.
Berry acknowledged that the optics of the contract don't look great. Those optics likely aren't going to look any better, especially if Watson is ultimately suspended and cashes in on his $46 million yearly salary in 2023.
