Browns Tweak Contract to Protect Watson's Salary Against Possible Suspension
The Cleveland Browns were able to convince Deshaun Watson to waive his no-trade clause in no part because of money. The money guaranteed in Watson's deal over five years is $230 million.
Included within that, the first year Watson will have a base salary of $1 million as noted by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The reason for that is if Watson were to be suspended due outcome 22 civil lawsuits he has pending, the money he'd lose would come out of his base salary. Any bonus money would still be paid to him.
Both for former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys, the league suspended each six games under their personal conduct policy despite the fact neither faced criminal charges. Both settled out of court with their accusers.
If the NFL simply sticks to that precedent, Watson would stand to lose in excess of $10 million if his contract was categorized as his base salary. Instead, he would only lose a little over $50,000 for any game he might be suspended.
Money was a critical part of the recruiting process for the Browns and Watson. The team has found every way possible to make sure he gets every dime of the lucrative contract he signed, even if he is suspended.
The Browns pulled out all stops to recruit Watson and it worked. They were able to convince him to come to Cleveland when they had been ruled out by Watson earlier in the process.
