Browns Received Nearly $89M In Cap Credits For Deshaun Watson Injuries

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, NFLPA records show the Browns received $88.781 million in salary cap credit for 2024 through 2029 from an insurance policy on QB Deshaun Watson‘s five-year, $230 million deal.

Per Florio, Watson’s numerous restructures and renegotiations gave the Browns various salary cap credits for different years. Florio believes the Browns received the following cap credits:

• $8.79 million for 2024
• $8.79 million and $7.983 million for 2025
• $8.781 million, $7.992 million and $4.941 million for 2026
• $8.755 million and $8.018 million for 2027
• $8.755 million and $7.893 million for 2028
• $7.983 million for 2029

Watson missed 11 games due to injury in 2023, 10 games in 2024 and all 17 games in 2025. His injuries in 2023 were from a shoulder issue, while his 2024 and 2025 injuries were for a twice-injured Achilles.

Teams can take out insurance policies for loss of value on major player contracts, and the practice has become increasingly common by a few different organizations in the last several years. The premiums are pricey but not factored into the salary cap, so franchises willing to spend the extra money can benefit in the long run. 

Watson, 30, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.

The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games. 

Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons. 

In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 31 carries for 148 yards and another score.