2024 Cleveland Browns - 1-5, Apparently Staying the Course (1 Viewer)

[Galileo]

I so badly want to pull the plug. I'd like to think if I ran the team, I would have never made this move for Watson in the first place. "Hey look, here is a guy who doesn't want to play here and is loaded with off the field issues. Let's throw so much money at him he can't possibly say no." Not a wise decision. But now that the investment has been made, I think I would have no choice but to ride it out. What is the alternative? It is not like we are stacked behind him. Winston? DTR? They aren't the answer either. Call on a guy like Tannehill? That would be a better option than what is in the bullpen, IMO. I keep telling myself, it is one game. But it was so embarrassingly bad that it almost feels like the season is shot. But, as I said, given the current state of affairs, I think we got to ride him out for a while and hopefully he stays healthy and we find some rhythm. Whether we pull the plug or not, this acquisition is going to sting for a long time.

On a related note, as bad as Watson was/is, the coaches need to shoulder significant blame for this opener. I am a fan of Stefanski. Not a fan of Dorsey, nor the thinking that landed him here. And I sorely miss Callahan.

To @MAC_32 's point above, there really isn't a way out of this so we're stuck with Watson on the roster for at least two more years. Whether he plays or not is a different story but given the cap constraints associated with Watson, who are going to bring in? You're not. So we have to make the best of this. I don't get the impression that Watson is going to Dwayne Bowe this thing but there isn't a lot we could do about it if he did.

I didn't understand the Dorsey hire or letting Van Pelt go but whatever, as long as Stefanski is calling the plays I don't know how much input those guys have anyhow. Callahan was a huge loss but I don't think any amount of money was going to keep him here. He could definitely make lemonade out of lemons.

Well…don’t be so sure about that…

Deshaun Watson is sued for sexual assault and battery

Tony Buzbee represents latest plaintiff to file suit against Browns QB.

www.nbcsports.com

Look at the 2nd to last paragraph of that article…

This new case raises plenty of issues, from the standpoint of the league and the Browns. It’s possible that Watson could be subject to further scrutiny under the Personal Conduct Policy. It’s also possible that a suspension — if one is imposed — could give the Browns a path toward voiding his remaining salary guarantees and ending the relationship.

i guess i really shouldn't be surprised.

i don't know what to say.

i think it's too optimistic to entertain thoughts of getting out of that contract, but maybe if he ended up on the Commissioner's Exempt list, we could start daydreaming...

Would it shock anyone if we somehow found out Haslam was pulling some strings and pushing some buttons to get this latest lawsuit rolling. Just to be clear, I am not saying he is, but there's a little part of me that wouldn't be surprised if he thought he could leverage this as a way out.

 

[nightmare]

D Watsons 2025 and 2026 salary totals $92 million. This would be a huge break for the Browns.

 

[amnesiac]

I so badly want to pull the plug. I'd like to think if I ran the team, I would have never made this move for Watson in the first place. "Hey look, here is a guy who doesn't want to play here and is loaded with off the field issues. Let's throw so much money at him he can't possibly say no." Not a wise decision. But now that the investment has been made, I think I would have no choice but to ride it out. What is the alternative? It is not like we are stacked behind him. Winston? DTR? They aren't the answer either. Call on a guy like Tannehill? That would be a better option than what is in the bullpen, IMO. I keep telling myself, it is one game. But it was so embarrassingly bad that it almost feels like the season is shot. But, as I said, given the current state of affairs, I think we got to ride him out for a while and hopefully he stays healthy and we find some rhythm. Whether we pull the plug or not, this acquisition is going to sting for a long time.

On a related note, as bad as Watson was/is, the coaches need to shoulder significant blame for this opener. I am a fan of Stefanski. Not a fan of Dorsey, nor the thinking that landed him here. And I sorely miss Callahan.

To @MAC_32 's point above, there really isn't a way out of this so we're stuck with Watson on the roster for at least two more years. Whether he plays or not is a different story but given the cap constraints associated with Watson, who are going to bring in? You're not. So we have to make the best of this. I don't get the impression that Watson is going to Dwayne Bowe this thing but there isn't a lot we could do about it if he did.

I didn't understand the Dorsey hire or letting Van Pelt go but whatever, as long as Stefanski is calling the plays I don't know how much input those guys have anyhow. Callahan was a huge loss but I don't think any amount of money was going to keep him here. He could definitely make lemonade out of lemons.

Well…don’t be so sure about that…

Deshaun Watson is sued for sexual assault and battery

Tony Buzbee represents latest plaintiff to file suit against Browns QB.

www.nbcsports.com

Look at the 2nd to last paragraph of that article…

This new case raises plenty of issues, from the standpoint of the league and the Browns. It’s possible that Watson could be subject to further scrutiny under the Personal Conduct Policy. It’s also possible that a suspension — if one is imposed — could give the Browns a path toward voiding his remaining salary guarantees and ending the relationship.

i guess i really shouldn't be surprised.

i don't know what to say.

i think it's too optimistic to entertain thoughts of getting out of that contract, but maybe if he ended up on the Commissioner's Exempt list, we could start daydreaming...

Would it shock anyone if we somehow found out Haslam was pulling some strings and pushing some buttons to get this latest lawsuit rolling. Just to be clear, I am not saying he is, but there's a little part of me that wouldn't surprised me if he thought it could leverage this as a way out.

since Haslam is likely the one that got them into the Watson mess in the first place, i suppose we could entertain theories that he's the one trying to get them out of it, sure.

 

[Grahamburn]

I so badly want to pull the plug. I'd like to think if I ran the team, I would have never made this move for Watson in the first place. "Hey look, here is a guy who doesn't want to play here and is loaded with off the field issues. Let's throw so much money at him he can't possibly say no." Not a wise decision. But now that the investment has been made, I think I would have no choice but to ride it out. What is the alternative? It is not like we are stacked behind him. Winston? DTR? They aren't the answer either. Call on a guy like Tannehill? That would be a better option than what is in the bullpen, IMO. I keep telling myself, it is one game. But it was so embarrassingly bad that it almost feels like the season is shot. But, as I said, given the current state of affairs, I think we got to ride him out for a while and hopefully he stays healthy and we find some rhythm. Whether we pull the plug or not, this acquisition is going to sting for a long time.

On a related note, as bad as Watson was/is, the coaches need to shoulder significant blame for this opener. I am a fan of Stefanski. Not a fan of Dorsey, nor the thinking that landed him here. And I sorely miss Callahan.

To @MAC_32 's point above, there really isn't a way out of this so we're stuck with Watson on the roster for at least two more years. Whether he plays or not is a different story but given the cap constraints associated with Watson, who are going to bring in? You're not. So we have to make the best of this. I don't get the impression that Watson is going to Dwayne Bowe this thing but there isn't a lot we could do about it if he did.

I didn't understand the Dorsey hire or letting Van Pelt go but whatever, as long as Stefanski is calling the plays I don't know how much input those guys have anyhow. Callahan was a huge loss but I don't think any amount of money was going to keep him here. He could definitely make lemonade out of lemons.

Well…don’t be so sure about that…

Deshaun Watson is sued for sexual assault and battery

Tony Buzbee represents latest plaintiff to file suit against Browns QB.

www.nbcsports.com

Look at the 2nd to last paragraph of that article…

This new case raises plenty of issues, from the standpoint of the league and the Browns. It’s possible that Watson could be subject to further scrutiny under the Personal Conduct Policy. It’s also possible that a suspension — if one is imposed — could give the Browns a path toward voiding his remaining salary guarantees and ending the relationship.

i guess i really shouldn't be surprised.

i don't know what to say.

i think it's too optimistic to entertain thoughts of getting out of that contract, but maybe if he ended up on the Commissioner's Exempt list, we could start daydreaming...

Would it shock anyone if we somehow found out Haslam was pulling some strings and pushing some buttons to get this latest lawsuit rolling. Just to be clear, I am not saying he is, but there's a little part of me that wouldn't be surprised if he thought he could leverage this as a way out.

Sure. This voids his deal.

 

[MAC_32]

Yea it was all rainbows & puppy dogs up until yesterday. As Cleveland fans I think we are numb to a lot of stuff most fanbases aren't accustomed to. All I heard was Watson was making all the throws in practice, they were keeping him on a schedule so his practice was limited, didn't play a snap in the pre-season so we didn't have any real idea of what to expect other than what we were being told by media.

Thanks. You're closer to it than me but I had a different vibe than rainbows and happiness. I sensed some dread this summer.

Again, I'm not as close as you, but this felt like yesterday was confirmation of the things they were worried about.

On the upside, it's Dallas and they had terrible OL issues. But this looks ugly.

I'd say that because I am a fan doesn't necessarily put me closer to it. A guy like @MAC_32 who is literally there is probably a better source, I'm just chatty

I listen to Cleveland sports talk radio all day so my rainbows mostly come from what they put out. The local media isn't anything close to tough on the team so we rarely hear anything more than coach speak. From what I saw yesterday, Watson's should is good, he had some zip on the ball, tossed a few downfield and can still run downfield when necessary. What he didn't have was pocket presence (serious happy feet), the ability to read defenses, picking up the speed of the game along with bad OL play, made for a long day for the offense. All of that is correctable with reps and time under fire. Unfortunately that's going to have to occur in September not August. Add in that I don't expect him to play a full season (meaning I think he will have some type of injury that keeps him out) so the amount of games he can have a significant impact is around 10-11 games. He's going to have to be some semblance of a real NFL QB in all of those games as opposed to what we saw yesterday.

There was zero enthusiasm in this town approaching the opener. That doesn't happen often- and that's saying something giving our history. I don't think many expected it to be that bad, but a lot of concerns were confirmed. It was one thing when he was a bad person / teammate but really good at football. He's not the last thing anymore and I think it's more mental than physical.

 

[amnesiac]

Yea it was all rainbows & puppy dogs up until yesterday. As Cleveland fans I think we are numb to a lot of stuff most fanbases aren't accustomed to. All I heard was Watson was making all the throws in practice, they were keeping him on a schedule so his practice was limited, didn't play a snap in the pre-season so we didn't have any real idea of what to expect other than what we were being told by media.

Thanks. You're closer to it than me but I had a different vibe than rainbows and happiness. I sensed some dread this summer.

Again, I'm not as close as you, but this felt like yesterday was confirmation of the things they were worried about.

On the upside, it's Dallas and they had terrible OL issues. But this looks ugly.

I'd say that because I am a fan doesn't necessarily put me closer to it. A guy like @MAC_32 who is literally there is probably a better source, I'm just chatty

I listen to Cleveland sports talk radio all day so my rainbows mostly come from what they put out. The local media isn't anything close to tough on the team so we rarely hear anything more than coach speak. From what I saw yesterday, Watson's should is good, he had some zip on the ball, tossed a few downfield and can still run downfield when necessary. What he didn't have was pocket presence (serious happy feet), the ability to read defenses, picking up the speed of the game along with bad OL play, made for a long day for the offense. All of that is correctable with reps and time under fire. Unfortunately that's going to have to occur in September not August. Add in that I don't expect him to play a full season (meaning I think he will have some type of injury that keeps him out) so the amount of games he can have a significant impact is around 10-11 games. He's going to have to be some semblance of a real NFL QB in all of those games as opposed to what we saw yesterday.

There was zero enthusiasm in this town approaching the opener. That doesn't happen often- and that's saying something giving our history. I don't think many expected it to be that bad, but a lot of concerns were confirmed. It was one thing when he was a bad person / teammate but really good at football. He's not the last thing anymore and I think it's more mental than physical.

I think the lack of enthusiasm prior to the game really speaks to the level of football savviness in Cleveland.

 

[Galileo]

Browns signed Kadarius Toney...that'll fix us.

 

[GregR]

Deshaun Watson Is Accused of Sexual Assault

In a lawsuit filed Monday, a woman said the N.F.L. quarterback, who faced numerous accusations of sexual misconduct several years ago, assaulted her in 2020.

www.nytimes.com

Watson was fined $5 million by the N.F.L. and suspended for 11 games in 2022 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Among the terms of his disciplinary settlement with the N.F.L. were that he would not be subject to any further punishment from the league for any other accusations arising from the “same or substantially similar conduct” that happened before the discipline was imposed. He could be investigated and further penalized, though, for any previous incident that involved the use or threat of physical force or that is charged criminally.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Any chance the Browns bench Watson and start Jameis? Serious question for Brown fan.

 

[amnesiac]

Any chance the Browns bench Watson and start Jameis? Serious question for Brown fan.

right now it's radio silence.

i suppose anything is possible, but my guess is that they've already come this far, they'll probably issue a statement tomorrow saying that they're going to "let the legal process play out, etc."

 

[beer 30]

Any chance the Browns bench Watson and start Jameis? Serious question for Brown fan.

I'd think there are two ways for that to happen, similar to the DAL game, if he's foundering in a blowout (whether he wants to stay in or not) Stefanski would/ yank him OR he's just getting pounded and one of the injuries come into play.

 

[beer 30]

He’s uncuttable (like Mac said). And right at the end of this the question gets asked, can Stefanski even bench him?

 

[daveR]

I wish I could see the receivers downfield. There's no way for me to tell if they're open or not. I'm also curious whether or not downfield plays were called & checked down, or simply not called.

I'm not surprised to see Jeudy skip off-season activities & then "get injured" (ahem) game 1. He doesn't seem like a gamer from here.

Comparing the stats, the game should have been closer, but the turnovers, drops, and dst td wiped that out. All-in-all dog-butt ugly!

 

[GregR]

If I was Cleveland, I would be pushing the NFL to act on this in a way to help with making the contract voidable. I'm sure after appeals, that would ultimately come down to some arbitrator or judge deciding if what he did constituted force. Which means, interview the accuser and ask the questions that, the Browns would hope, would establish it.

Also I think they should probably push for the Commissioner's Exempt List in the meantime as that would be an easy way of benching him. Unless the owner actually still wants him on the field. But I think the NFL wins getting Watson out of any spotlight.

If none of that played out, I would seriously be considering doing what Houston did and tell him: don't show up to the facility while this is in the works. And he would essentially be done as my QB, the team would move on and never look back. Apart from that $173 million that still has to hit their cap from him, unless the contract gets voided.



Edit: Ok going to amend something as I realized I might be pushing a possibly incorrect set of facts. The NFL agreement on his punishment, is that he can't be further punished for similar incidents unless they include force or are criminally charged. But that doesn't mean the language in his actual contract with the Browns for voiding says that. So at this point, probably better to say I don't know exactly what would make his contract voidable. Will leave the above statements, but recognizing I might be off on what would void the contract.

 

[MAC_32]

Any chance the Browns bench Watson and start Jameis? Serious question for Brown fan.

I'd think there are two ways for that to happen, similar to the DAL game, if he's foundering in a blowout (whether he wants to stay in or not) Stefanski would/ yank him OR he's just getting pounded and one of the injuries come into play.

Leave him out there

 

[GregR]

Any chance the Browns bench Watson and start Jameis? Serious question for Brown fan.

I'd think there are two ways for that to happen, similar to the DAL game, if he's foundering in a blowout (whether he wants to stay in or not) Stefanski would/ yank him OR he's just getting pounded and one of the injuries come into play.

Leave him out there

Broken link.

 

[MAC_32]

I wish I could see the receivers downfield. There's no way for me to tell if they're open or not. I'm also curious whether or not downfield plays were called & checked down, or simply not called.

I'm not surprised to see Jeudy skip off-season activities & then "get injured" (ahem) game 1. He doesn't seem like a gamer from here.

Comparing the stats, the game should have been closer, but the turnovers, drops, and dst td wiped that out. All-in-all dog-butt ugly!

Given what we've seen from Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco in this offense, I don't need to see what's happening down field. The QB tells all.

 

[MAC_32]

Any chance the Browns bench Watson and start Jameis? Serious question for Brown fan.

I'd think there are two ways for that to happen, similar to the DAL game, if he's foundering in a blowout (whether he wants to stay in or not) Stefanski would/ yank him OR he's just getting pounded and one of the injuries come into play.

Leave him out there

Broken link.

Worked for me, but I tried a different one.

 

[beer 30]

Any chance the Browns bench Watson and start Jameis? Serious question for Brown fan.

I'd think there are two ways for that to happen, similar to the DAL game, if he's foundering in a blowout (whether he wants to stay in or not) Stefanski would/ yank him OR he's just getting pounded and one of the injuries come into play.

Leave him out there

I'm wondering if Stefanski doesn't think the same. Just leave him out there until he's shredded and the problem somewhat solves itself.

 

[amnesiac]

Haslam Sunday night: "Tell Stefanski to get his butt in here tomorrow morning. I'm gonna rip him a new one for the way they played today!!"

Haslam's Assistant: "Remember, you're the one that made them trade for Watson."

Haslam: "****..."

 

[amnesiac]

Hypothetical question:

I don't fully understand the contract language, but say Watson gets into whatever trouble he needs to (suspension, etc.) to trigger the ability to "void the contract," during this season.

IF the contract is voided, what are the salary cap ramifications?

I would assume the "bonuses" already paid out are Watson's to keep.

I would also assume the "bonuses" would accelerate the cap number (this year's or next?).

but would the Browns get cap relief from the remaining years?

any salary cap gurus want to take a stab at this?

 

[Peak]

Hypothetical question:

I don't fully understand the contract language, but say Watson gets into whatever trouble he needs to (suspension, etc.) to trigger the ability to "void the contract," during this season.

IF the contract is voided, what are the salary cap ramifications?

I would assume the "bonuses" already paid out are Watson's to keep.

I would also assume the "bonuses" would accelerate the cap number (this year's or next?).

but would the Browns get cap relief from the remaining years?

any salary cap gurus want to take a stab at this?

I would assume that what's been paid has been paid and the rest of the contract is null/void - if it does play out that way. So his contract would be wiped from the team's salary cap. I could be wrong, but that's how I would view it.

 

[Snotbubbles]

Hypothetical question:

I don't fully understand the contract language, but say Watson gets into whatever trouble he needs to (suspension, etc.) to trigger the ability to "void the contract," during this season.

IF the contract is voided, what are the salary cap ramifications?

I would assume the "bonuses" already paid out are Watson's to keep.

I would also assume the "bonuses" would accelerate the cap number (this year's or next?).

but would the Browns get cap relief from the remaining years?

any salary cap gurus want to take a stab at this?

I would assume that what's been paid has been paid and the rest of the contract is null/void - if it does play out that way. So his contract would be wiped from the team's salary cap. I could be wrong, but that's how I would view it.

Agent's Take: What happens if Raiders try to void Antonio Brown's guarantees in his contract

Is Antonio Brown all-in or all-out with the Raiders, and what do they do about his contract if it's the latter?

www.cbssports.com

The Raiders did this with Antonio Brown. From the article, it appears that all the unobtained guaranteed money would come off the books. All of the prorated money would stay on the books. From overthecap.com it looks like he'd have $92M in guaranteed salary that would come off the books and $80.7 of prorated money spread over the next 4 years that would stay on. I think that's how it works from the article.

EDIT: The prorated portions of Watson's salary are 2025: $26.9M; 2026: $26.9M; 2027: $17.9M; and 2028: $8.9M (I think they're stuck with these)

 

[amnesiac]

Hypothetical question:

I don't fully understand the contract language, but say Watson gets into whatever trouble he needs to (suspension, etc.) to trigger the ability to "void the contract," during this season.

IF the contract is voided, what are the salary cap ramifications?

I would assume the "bonuses" already paid out are Watson's to keep.

I would also assume the "bonuses" would accelerate the cap number (this year's or next?).

but would the Browns get cap relief from the remaining years?

any salary cap gurus want to take a stab at this?

I would assume that what's been paid has been paid and the rest of the contract is null/void - if it does play out that way. So his contract would be wiped from the team's salary cap. I could be wrong, but that's how I would view it.

Agent's Take: What happens if Raiders try to void Antonio Brown's guarantees in his contract

Is Antonio Brown all-in or all-out with the Raiders, and what do they do about his contract if it's the latter?

www.cbssports.com

The Raiders did this with Antonio Brown. From the article, it appears that all the unobtained guaranteed money would come off the books. All of the prorated money would stay on the books. From overthecap.com it looks like he'd have $92M in guaranteed salary that would come off the books and $80.7 of prorated money spread over the next 4 years that would stay on. I think that's how it works from the article.

EDIT: The prorated portions of Watson's salary are 2025: $26.9M; 2026: $26.9M; 2027: $17.9M; and 2028: $8.9M (I think they're stuck with these)

i thought the cap hits accelerated if the player was released?

is voiding a contract different?

i really don't know how any of it works.

did they actually void Brown's contract?

 

[Snotbubbles]

Hypothetical question:

I don't fully understand the contract language, but say Watson gets into whatever trouble he needs to (suspension, etc.) to trigger the ability to "void the contract," during this season.

IF the contract is voided, what are the salary cap ramifications?

I would assume the "bonuses" already paid out are Watson's to keep.

I would also assume the "bonuses" would accelerate the cap number (this year's or next?).

but would the Browns get cap relief from the remaining years?

any salary cap gurus want to take a stab at this?

I would assume that what's been paid has been paid and the rest of the contract is null/void - if it does play out that way. So his contract would be wiped from the team's salary cap. I could be wrong, but that's how I would view it.

Agent's Take: What happens if Raiders try to void Antonio Brown's guarantees in his contract

Is Antonio Brown all-in or all-out with the Raiders, and what do they do about his contract if it's the latter?

www.cbssports.com

The Raiders did this with Antonio Brown. From the article, it appears that all the unobtained guaranteed money would come off the books. All of the prorated money would stay on the books. From overthecap.com it looks like he'd have $92M in guaranteed salary that would come off the books and $80.7 of prorated money spread over the next 4 years that would stay on. I think that's how it works from the article.

EDIT: The prorated portions of Watson's salary are 2025: $26.9M; 2026: $26.9M; 2027: $17.9M; and 2028: $8.9M (I think they're stuck with these)

i thought the cap hits accelerated if the player was released?

is voiding a contract different?

i really don't know how any of it works.

did they actually void Brown's contract?

A Closer Look at the Browns Options with Deshaun Watson | Over the Cap

A Closer Look at the Browns Options with Deshaun Watson | Over the Cap

overthecap.com

I just found the answer for you.

The salary cap costs to release Watson are still very high even if the Browns were able to void the guarantees. If they were able to void his guarantees this season and cut him now the cap cost would be $26.7M this year and about $80.25M in 2025. A suspension in 2024 would allow them to get credits for the bonus paid in 2024. If he was suspended in 2025, allowing the team to void the guarantee, they would have the option of taking the $80.25M cap charge in 2025 or spreading it out as $26.7M in 2025 and $53.6M in 2026. If they chose the latter the salary cap hold during free agency in 2025 would be $72.9M and then it would drop to $26.7M on June 2, 2025. In many ways the salary cap considerations are very similar to those of the Broncos with Russell Wilson this past offseason.

 

[amnesiac]

Hypothetical question:

I don't fully understand the contract language, but say Watson gets into whatever trouble he needs to (suspension, etc.) to trigger the ability to "void the contract," during this season.

IF the contract is voided, what are the salary cap ramifications?

I would assume the "bonuses" already paid out are Watson's to keep.

I would also assume the "bonuses" would accelerate the cap number (this year's or next?).

but would the Browns get cap relief from the remaining years?

any salary cap gurus want to take a stab at this?

I would assume that what's been paid has been paid and the rest of the contract is null/void - if it does play out that way. So his contract would be wiped from the team's salary cap. I could be wrong, but that's how I would view it.

Agent's Take: What happens if Raiders try to void Antonio Brown's guarantees in his contract

Is Antonio Brown all-in or all-out with the Raiders, and what do they do about his contract if it's the latter?

www.cbssports.com

The Raiders did this with Antonio Brown. From the article, it appears that all the unobtained guaranteed money would come off the books. All of the prorated money would stay on the books. From overthecap.com it looks like he'd have $92M in guaranteed salary that would come off the books and $80.7 of prorated money spread over the next 4 years that would stay on. I think that's how it works from the article.

EDIT: The prorated portions of Watson's salary are 2025: $26.9M; 2026: $26.9M; 2027: $17.9M; and 2028: $8.9M (I think they're stuck with these)

i thought the cap hits accelerated if the player was released?

is voiding a contract different?

i really don't know how any of it works.

did they actually void Brown's contract?

A Closer Look at the Browns Options with Deshaun Watson | Over the Cap

A Closer Look at the Browns Options with Deshaun Watson | Over the Cap

overthecap.com

I just found the answer for you.

The salary cap costs to release Watson are still very high even if the Browns were able to void the guarantees. If they were able to void his guarantees this season and cut him now the cap cost would be $26.7M this year and about $80.25M in 2025. A suspension in 2024 would allow them to get credits for the bonus paid in 2024. If he was suspended in 2025, allowing the team to void the guarantee, they would have the option of taking the $80.25M cap charge in 2025 or spreading it out as $26.7M in 2025 and $53.6M in 2026. If they chose the latter the salary cap hold during free agency in 2025 would be $72.9M and then it would drop to $26.7M on June 2, 2025. In many ways the salary cap considerations are very similar to those of the Broncos with Russell Wilson this past offseason.

First off, THANK YOU for finding that!

i don't think they can void the guarantees this year, they've already paid him.

so voiding the contract would still end up with them having significant dead cap money, but there are scenarios that would make it more reasonable.

 

[amnesiac]

i guess that's what i was trying to figure out, it seems like fans think if they void the contract, the Browns are off scott free.

there's still a lot of cap math even if they can void it.

 

[GregR]

i guess that's what i was trying to figure out, it seems like fans think if they void the contract, the Browns are off scott free.

there's still a lot of cap math even if they can void it.

Any money paid to the player has to hit the cap at some point, right. If he had to pay something back, which already had hit the cap, then I believe they could get a cap refund for that amount. But anything he keeps has to hit the cap.

 

[Major]

Couldn't resist:

"The only cats and dogs being killed in Ohio are the Browns and Bengals"

 

[The Gator]

Couldn't resist:

"The only cats and dogs being killed in Ohio are the Browns and Bengals"

 

[daveR]

I wish I could see the receivers downfield. There's no way for me to tell if they're open or not. I'm also curious whether or not downfield plays were called & checked down, or simply not called.

I'm not surprised to see Jeudy skip off-season activities & then "get injured" (ahem) game 1. He doesn't seem like a gamer from here.

Comparing the stats, the game should have been closer, but the turnovers, drops, and dst td wiped that out. All-in-all dog-butt ugly!

Given what we've seen from Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco in this offense, I don't need to see what's happening down field. The QB tells all.

Saw what I was looking for! here After seeing that, I wonder how he did so well in HOU!

 

[amnesiac]

supposedly, when they redid the contract this preseason, they put different language in it regarding the guaranteed money.

very interesting.

 

[amnesiac]

“Per the report, if Watson is suspended again, Cleveland could retain the guaranteed money that he is owed for the remainder of the deal.“

 

[Deamon]

“Per the report, if Watson is suspended again, Cleveland could retain the guaranteed money that he is owed for the remainder of the deal.“

Don't think we've ever seen a team want their player to be suspended so badly.

 

[BassNBrew]

So why did 3.0 Foreman out carry 9.1 Ford by 2x?

 

[Bracie Smathers]

So why did 3.0 Foreman out carry 9.1 Ford by 2x?

It was HEAVILY raining and got worse as the game progressed negating any outside running lanes or hard cuts. Ford ate early in the game when the field wasn't waterlogged, but the rain and field got soaked.
The only choice was to run between the tackles with a big bruising RB like Foreman, but the Jags were countering with HEAVILY stacking the box so that is why TWO-TIME NFL coach of the year decided to roll Watson outside late in the game.
Stef is getting crushed for one play. Yeah, don't credit him for the early calls that lead to the lead that the team never relinquished, crush him for one play. My gosh.
I distinctly recall early last year when a group of morons at work wanted to fire Stefanski because the MMQBers cherry picked one call each game that didn't work and glossed over everything else just like yesterday.

 

[amnesiac]

I think I’m out on Watson.

I was holding out hope, but he looks completely lost.

 

[The Man With No Name]

They look like they'll be lucky to win 4 games

 

[amnesiac]

imagine what this team could be with a decent QB.

 

[beer 30]

I think I’m out on Watson.

I was holding out hope, but he looks completely lost.

He's done. The OL didn't do him any favors but Watson is just lost in this offense that is supposedly tailored to his capabilities.

They look like they'll be lucky to win 4 games

I said 5 before the game but I think you're probably closer to the mark. Man are they bad.

 

[TampaMike19]

Still holding the theory that this team is acting like the Panthers because their QB is a cancer and locker room killer. Not saying Bryce is a cancer or locker room killer but he's also not that good and when the QB isn't good...yeah...talented rosters go to crap.

Browns defence will perk right up when another QB gets in there.

 

[Peak]

I'm out on Watson too. The OL has issues, but Watson is only exacberating them with his poor play. Put Winston in and hope Watson gets suspended again. Is it too soon to consider tanking this year to get an early first round pick next year? Ugh....

 

[MAC_32]

Enjoy your Sunday

 

[amnesiac]

Watson has been OK today and they’re still getting beat.

WTF??

 

[amnesiac]

THROW THE ****ING BALL

 

[beer 30]

Enjoy your Sunday

4-5 wins...maybe. This offense just doesn't work with 4 at the helm which makes me wonder wtf they are talking about when they say they have tailored it to his abilities? 2020 Deshaun Watson ain't walking through that door. He's not even a decent backup at this point. The OL has fallen off a cliff. Age, injuries and the loss of the best OL coach in the business has had a yuge impact. Myles is going to play hurt all year and it sure seems to be hampering him. The vaunted DB's are not living up to the hype. Hell even the kicker missed an XP. Whole team is in disarray right now.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Macro: NFL 300 yard passing games over the first 3 games over the past three seasons -
300 yard passing games over first 3 games
2022 - 20
2023 - 22
2024 - 10
There is a reason why passing yardage has gone down and it is because DCs have found a solution.
Many NFL talking head blame use of cover-two.
Now that we know all NFL QBs are throwing for less, lets look at the micro issue of the Browns to put things into perspective.
The Browns had no idea that this would happen when they went from a run-heavy offense to a pass-happy offense this offseason just as this hit across the league. They were adjusting to the loss of Nick Chubb and saw an opportunity to add a WR in Jeudy who has looked great to Amari and Pro Bowl TE Njuko.
So we have a league-wide trend colliding with a team beset with injuries to both starting OTs, the starting RG, the starting TE, on-top of not having Nick Chubb and the struggles of LG Joel Bitonio before factoring in the QB is coming off shoulder surgery that no NFL QB had before and that he hadn't played for nearly a year.
I also think the defense has been over-rated by many in the local media inflating expectations.
The way the team is right now.... I only see two more wins unless Stefanski coaches up another miracle but this isn't just an easy QB fix IMHO.

 

[Major]

I feel for you Browns fans. Crazy to think this team is so bad when just a year or two ago it looked like they were on their way to compete with the Baltimore and KCs of the world. All you can do is blame that cancer of a QB for destroying this once promising franchise from within and the GM that has stuck by him.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I feel for you Browns fans. Crazy to think this team is so bad when just a year or two ago it looked like they were on their way to compete with the Baltimore and KCs of the world. All you can do is blame that cancer of a QB for destroying this once promising franchise from within and the GM that has stuck by him.

Owner down?

 

[MAC_32]

Enjoy your Sunday

4-5 wins...maybe. This offense just doesn't work with 4 at the helm which makes me wonder wtf they are talking about when they say they have tailored it to his abilities? 2020 Deshaun Watson ain't walking through that door. He's not even a decent backup at this point. The OL has fallen off a cliff. Age, injuries and the loss of the best OL coach in the business has had a yuge impact. Myles is going to play hurt all year and it sure seems to be hampering him. The vaunted DB's are not living up to the hype. Hell even the kicker missed an XP. Whole team is in disarray right now.

This offseason was all about making #4 comfortable or... a scapegoat. I'm looking at what the Browns did and drawing parallels to what the Cavs (and others) did to placate LeBron. The difference is the player LeBron was able to overcome the mistakes of GM LeBron, which is feasible when you're 1 of 5 instead of 1 of 22*. I think they lost faith in him, but felt it was important to position him to prove them wrong. And if he didn't, then this team would be better positioned to turn the page.

Something is rotten inside the locker room and it all starts with #4. Neither the offense nor defense were an issue last year, the sum of their parts exceeded what they should've been capable of. Now? It is a collection of individuals that does not trust each other. I think we saw an urgency from #4 we haven't to this point. I think he knows he's losing, or has lost, the locker room. There were flashes of the 2020 version, but he's not that guy anymore and they know it. We've yet to top 20 points in a game and are 1-3 against a cake easy schedule- next up?

@ WASH
@ PHI (after their bye)
v CIN
v BAL
v LAC

If we had anyone but Stefanski, I would pencil in 1-8 right now, culminating with a 16-0 style road grading by Harbaugh's run game. He thrives under chaos though. Winning in Washington against one of the league's hottest team would be peak Browns. After creating ways to lose against bottom feeders, find a way in a game we have no business winning. It'd defy logic is all- this team is on the brink of a mutiny. I'm glad we have other plans the next 2 Sunday's...