Browns Restructure Contract of Ex-Texans QB DeShaun Watson
According to reports, the Cleveland Browns restructured the contract of former Texans quarterback, DeShaun Watson on Monday.
The move, which has now given the Browns ample flexibility for free agency this offseason, has created $36 million in cap space.
With that said, Watson's massive contract will remain largely the same in terms of pure income, with the quarterback still set to earn every dollar of his massive $230 million contract.
It is called by some teams "flipping a switch.''
Our friend TexasCap terms it more officially, "automatic conversion rights.''
And what does it mean? Simply, that build into the big contracts - and Watson's $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Browns, put into place last year as a part of his trade from the Texans - are team options to move money.
"Salary'' becomes "bonus,'' which changes the way the player's salary impacts the cap in a given year.
But it changes nothing in terms of the player's actual income - the money is, in a sense, simply being moved from his left pocket to his right pocket.
And the team doesn't have to "ask'' or "negotiate'' or "beg'' the player to allow the money to be moved.
It is done at the discretion of the team, a pre-fab way of creating room down the line.
And now Watson's contract has done just that, giving the Browns room to revamp a mediocre roster, that finished the 2023 season 7-10.
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