They have 10 points brothis is MY QB. Horrid conditions and he's looking absolutely DELISH.
that cooper slip n drop killed me tho
As long as you’re happy with the ending.this is MY QB. Horrid conditions and he's looking absolutely DELISH.
that cooper slip n drop killed me tho
Too many dropped TD passesAs long as you’re happy with the ending.this is MY QB. Horrid conditions and he's looking absolutely DELISH.
that cooper slip n drop killed me tho
Do you think his less than stellar play is still because of "rust"?
Or the lack of twice weekly massages?
I guess the Browns don't understand what fully guaranteed means.
I guess the Browns don't understand what fully guaranteed means.
Why would Watson help them out other than to convert salaries into bonuses that go directly into his account?
This is similar to an MLB deal where even if your guy bats .240 after he inks a $250M deal, you don't get to restructure the contract, it's guaranteed.
Appreciate the news link.
Excellent reply.I guess the Browns don't understand what fully guaranteed means.
Why would Watson help them out other than to convert salaries into bonuses that go directly into his account?
This is similar to an MLB deal where even if your guy bats .240 after he inks a $250M deal, you don't get to restructure the contract, it's guaranteed.
Appreciate the news link.
The bolded is exactly what he is talking about doing. This is standard, language is in every players contract that allows teams to do this without needing consent of the player. Not that they'd ever really argue about having a portion of their salary kicked into a bonus and paid out quicker.
Watson has 4 years remaining on his contract. Each of those years he has exactly a $46m guaranteed base salary and each of those years his bonus that was paid out hits the cap for another $8.993M for a salary cap hit of $54.993M each of the next 4 years.
Since the cap is increasing each year it only makes sense to keep trying to lower his current $54.993M cap hit now and take the hit later. So they are going to take a portion, maybe a lot or most, of his $46m base bay and convert it to a bonus and spread it out.
They might have to extend him in 2 years because the cap hit at the end of the 4 years he's got left on his contract is going to be freaking enormous.
Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
What is this really going to accomplish? Sure, they can redistribute what Watson will get paid each year . . . or add some dummy years to his contract. That will just result in kicking his cap hit further down the road. They might be able to extend a player or two now, but on the backside of Watson's deal they could have to cut a player or two to pay Watson. I'm guessing Watson is not going to give money back to the Browns and take a pay cut.Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
isn't kick the can down the road the favorite salary cap game that teams playWhat is this really going to accomplish? Sure, they can redistribute what Watson will get paid each year . . . or add some dummy years to his contract. That will just result in kicking his cap hit further down the road. They might be able to extend a player or two now, but on the backside of Watson's deal they could have to cut a player or two to pay Watson. I'm guessing Watson is not going to give money back to the Browns and take a pay cut.Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
Yes and no player has to "be open" to it. It's just paying them upfront instead and does not need their permission to do that.isn't kick the can down the road the favorite salary cap game that teams playWhat is this really going to accomplish? Sure, they can redistribute what Watson will get paid each year . . . or add some dummy years to his contract. That will just result in kicking his cap hit further down the road. They might be able to extend a player or two now, but on the backside of Watson's deal they could have to cut a player or two to pay Watson. I'm guessing Watson is not going to give money back to the Browns and take a pay cut.Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
Well, if you want to talk about window of opportunity, itz these next couple years. It would make all the sense in the world to go all out to reduce the cap 2023 and 2024What is this really going to accomplish? Sure, they can redistribute what Watson will get paid each year . . . or add some dummy years to his contract. That will just result in kicking his cap hit further down the road. They might be able to extend a player or two now, but on the backside of Watson's deal they could have to cut a player or two to pay Watson. I'm guessing Watson is not going to give money back to the Browns and take a pay cut.Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
Guess we will have to wait and see how they break out the cap charges. As of now, Watson carries a $55M cap hit for the next 4 seasons. They could save $30M against the cap this year by converting $30M of that into a cash bonus. That would up his cap hit to $65M for the next three years (or another combination / allocation). I get the intent and the strategy, but usually things don't work out well when teams starting using the cap as a credit card. It worked for the Rams (going all in for a season and winning the SB), but the fall out is ending up with a lot of bloated contracts, cap issues, and player cuts.Well, if you want to talk about window of opportunity, itz these next couple years. It would make all the sense in the world to go all out to reduce the cap 2023 and 2024
Pretty sure the Rams would take that 100 times out of 100Guess we will have to wait and see how they break out the cap charges. As of now, Watson carries a $55M cap hit for the next 4 seasons. They could save $30M against the cap this year by converting $30M of that into a cash bonus. That would up his cap hit to $65M for the next three years (or another combination / allocation). I get the intent and the strategy, but usually things don't work out well when teams starting using the cap as a credit card. It worked for the Rams (going all in for a season and winning the SB), but the fall out is ending up with a lot of bloated contracts, cap issues, and player cuts.Well, if you want to talk about window of opportunity, itz these next couple years. It would make all the sense in the world to go all out to reduce the cap 2023 and 2024
Rebuilding after there’s a trophy in the case seems a LOT more fun than staying in the middle. Or constantly building.For real.
You might have to cut someone in three years!!!!!
----Scares no one
I kinda like when my team tries to win for once. Call me crazy.I get it . . . no one cares what you have to do or how much you have to spend when you win. Lots of teams have tried that model, and not many of them have been successful. It really won't make much difference, as teams will can a coaching staff and an administration for not winning anyway (and leave the mess for someone else to clean up).
A team cannot restructure a player’s contract without the player agreeing to do so. A perfect example is when Tyreek refused to restructure with the Chiefs, for whatever reasons, Tyreek wasn’t open to it. For a team to restructure a player’s contract, they do need the player’s permission, so Watson has to be open to it.Yes and no player has to "be open" to it. It's just paying them upfront instead and does not need their permission to do that.isn't kick the can down the road the favorite salary cap game that teams playWhat is this really going to accomplish? Sure, they can redistribute what Watson will get paid each year . . . or add some dummy years to his contract. That will just result in kicking his cap hit further down the road. They might be able to extend a player or two now, but on the backside of Watson's deal they could have to cut a player or two to pay Watson. I'm guessing Watson is not going to give money back to the Browns and take a pay cut.Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
The way some people have been reporting this has been annoying.
That's false. It's standard language in all contracts, I have heard the clause but forgot it, that enables any team to convert base salary to a bonus. If Tryeek refused a restructure it was something else then that.A team cannot restructure a player’s contract without the player agreeing to do so. A perfect example is when Tyreek refused to restructure with the Chiefs, for whatever reasons, Tyreek wasn’t open to it. For a team to restructure a player’s contract, they do need the player’s permission, so Watson has to be open to it.Yes and no player has to "be open" to it. It's just paying them upfront instead and does not need their permission to do that.isn't kick the can down the road the favorite salary cap game that teams playWhat is this really going to accomplish? Sure, they can redistribute what Watson will get paid each year . . . or add some dummy years to his contract. That will just result in kicking his cap hit further down the road. They might be able to extend a player or two now, but on the backside of Watson's deal they could have to cut a player or two to pay Watson. I'm guessing Watson is not going to give money back to the Browns and take a pay cut.Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
The way some people have been reporting this has been annoying.
The issue the rest of the league (and other teams fans) have is that CLE went all in for a crazy, 100% guaranteed contract on a player that was essentially persona non grata (and many feel not worth the contract) . . . in addition to sending a boatload of picks in the process. We will have to wait and see how it all turns out, but there are likely a bunch of people that either want Watson to fail or think his contract will blow up in the Browns face (and be a reason why they don't win). Watson's contract is now the benchmark for other QB contracts, and that isn't going over well with some people.I kinda like when my team tries to win for once. Call me crazy.I get it . . . no one cares what you have to do or how much you have to spend when you win. Lots of teams have tried that model, and not many of them have been successful. It really won't make much difference, as teams will can a coaching staff and an administration for not winning anyway (and leave the mess for someone else to clean up).
If it doesn't work it doesn't work. Ok. What's the alternative? Lose while not trying to win?
For some reason when teams TRY and win, but lose, they get hammered for it. But, when they just go with the flow and lose, it's all roses. Interesting.
What exactly is your point that you are trying to make?The issue the rest of the league (and other teams fans) have is that CLE went all in for a crazy, 100% guaranteed contract on a player that was essentially persona non grata (and many feel not worth the contract) . . . in addition to sending a boatload of picks in the process. We will have to wait and see how it all turns out, but there are likely a bunch of people that either want Watson to fail or think his contract will blow up in the Browns face (and be a reason why they don't win). Watson's contract is now the benchmark for other QB contracts, and that isn't going over well with some people.I kinda like when my team tries to win for once. Call me crazy.I get it . . . no one cares what you have to do or how much you have to spend when you win. Lots of teams have tried that model, and not many of them have been successful. It really won't make much difference, as teams will can a coaching staff and an administration for not winning anyway (and leave the mess for someone else to clean up).
If it doesn't work it doesn't work. Ok. What's the alternative? Lose while not trying to win?
For some reason when teams TRY and win, but lose, they get hammered for it. But, when they just go with the flow and lose, it's all roses. Interesting.
The Browns have tried lots of QBs over the years and haven't gotten great production from those players (pre-SB notwithstanding). IMO, they would be in decent shape and a contender if Watson put up numbers like he did in HOU (a year like 4800/33/7). The problem is, no QB has put up those numbers playing for the Browns. Sipe was the only Browns QB to break 4K yards passing or throw for 30 TD. They've only had 7 guys throw for 3600 yards OR 26+ TD in a season (in 75 years).
I hardly got to see Watson play in HOU, and I generally don't get to watch the Browns (their games are rarely on in my area). Hard for me to have much opinion on either given that CLE doesn't usually get premium tv game slots. But I feel for Browns fans. They definitely are on my list of franchises I root for if my local team is out of the running.
As for your comment on trying to win . . . obviously that's the name of the game and what every franchise is doing. It's the process of trying to win and what the best methods are that every team goes through, and some teams are more successful than others. If I were the Browns GM, I wouldn't have given Watson that contract (and I probably wouldn't have an interest in rostering him in the first place). But I'm not, and they did, so now we have to see what happens moving forward.
It's tough cycling through 9 coaches in 15 years and not landing on a lot of premium draft picks. Getting top players and coaches to come to CLE is a challenge, and it's always a new regime that gets a really short window to fix things.
Thanks, I see where I was wrong, Tyreek didn’t want to restructure because it was adding void years to his contract which he was against. Tyreek was interested in a contract extension. If it was just a “simple restructure”, the Chiefs could have done it automatically without his approval as you clearly showed in your post. As long as the Browns just want a simple restructure, Watson doesnt have any say. I guess Deshaun is giving his approval because the Browns are interested in more than just a simple restructure.That's false. It's standard language in all contracts, I have heard the clause but forgot it, that enables any team to convert base salary to a bonus. If Tryeek refused a restructure it was something else then that.A team cannot restructure a player’s contract without the player agreeing to do so. A perfect example is when Tyreek refused to restructure with the Chiefs, for whatever reasons, Tyreek wasn’t open to it. For a team to restructure a player’s contract, they do need the player’s permission, so Watson has to be open to it.Yes and no player has to "be open" to it. It's just paying them upfront instead and does not need their permission to do that.isn't kick the can down the road the favorite salary cap game that teams playWhat is this really going to accomplish? Sure, they can redistribute what Watson will get paid each year . . . or add some dummy years to his contract. That will just result in kicking his cap hit further down the road. They might be able to extend a player or two now, but on the backside of Watson's deal they could have to cut a player or two to pay Watson. I'm guessing Watson is not going to give money back to the Browns and take a pay cut.Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot reports Deshaun Watson is "open to restructuring his contract" to help the team sign quality vets.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates is set to hit free agency, and would "love to play" with Watson, according to Cabot. Watson showing a willingness to restructure his deal could be a common occurrence for the next several offseasons after the team gave him an unprecedented, fully guaranteed, $230 million deal when they acquired him from the Texans last offseason. The Browns could use some additional help on the defensive side of the ball, after ranking 23rd in defensive DVOA (3.8%) last season, and an upgrade at WR2 opposite Amari Cooper.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 1:49 PM ET
The way some people have been reporting this has been annoying.
Can't find the clause, have heard it discussed, here is a brief explanation: https://overthecap.com/restructure
There are two types of restructuring:
- A simple restructure converts payments into prorated signing bonuses within the confines of the remainder of the contract. Teams typically have the ability to unilaterally execute simple restructures without any action necessary from the player.
- A maximum restructure increases the amount of cap space via conversion into prorated signing bonuses by either extending the contract or by adding void years to a contract, years that do not extend the contract but are only used as placeholders for the proration. Maximum restructures are typically considered a renegotiation of the contract that requires the player's consent to execute.
Yep. The Browns restructuring Watson's contract in March 2023 was obvious in March 2022 and it will be done again in March 2024.I guess the Browns don't understand what fully guaranteed means.
Why would Watson help them out other than to convert salaries into bonuses that go directly into his account?
This is similar to an MLB deal where even if your guy bats .240 after he inks a $250M deal, you don't get to restructure the contract, it's guaranteed.
Appreciate the news link.
The bolded is exactly what he is talking about doing. This is standard, language is in every players contract that allows teams to do this without needing consent of the player. Not that they'd ever really argue about having a portion of their salary kicked into a bonus and paid out quicker.
Watson has 4 years remaining on his contract. Each of those years he has exactly a $46m guaranteed base salary and each of those years his bonus that was paid out hits the cap for another $8.993M for a salary cap hit of $54.993M each of the next 4 years.
Since the cap is increasing each year it only makes sense to keep trying to lower his current $54.993M cap hit now and take the hit later. So they are going to take a portion, maybe a lot or most, of his $46m base bay and convert it to a bonus and spread it out.
They might have to extend him in 2 years because the cap hit at the end of the 4 years he's got left on his contract is going to be freaking enormous.
Although they were two “lesser” QBs, neither Carr or Geno got full guarantees. I don’t think most teams want to model themselves after the Browns. This will be a thing, until it’s not.Wow the Browns and this contract really threw off the entire league. Teams are really going to have to dig in to not be guaranteeing full contracts for QBs within a few yrs thx to Cleve
This is the kind of stuff I hope everyone in my league takes to heart so they avoid drafting Chubb, allowing me to scoop him on the sly.From Matthew Berry's "23 Most Interesting Things Heard At The Combine" :
Cleveland's offense is going to be really interesting next year. Look for the Browns to add a speed wide receiver this off-season to go with Amari Cooper. One source told me “They are really going to open up the offense. Go five wide. Pass a lot. This is going to be Deshaun Watson's offense, not Nick Chubb's. They will pass a lot more than folks expect.”
I was told to go look at the Browns-Steelers game from Week 18. In that game, the opening kickoff temperature was in the 30's. Cold as hell and the Over/Under was 39.5. People expected a low scoring, cold weather, typical AFC North game. Instead, even as cold and windy as the conditions were, Cleveland threw it 29 times while Nick Chubb ran it 12 times in a 28-14 loss for the Browns. Yes, they were down, but my source said that will be much closer to the norm for Cleveland next year. Tons of passing attempts for Watson (likely closer to 40 a game in reasonable weather) with like 12 rushing attempts for Chubb and maybe a few touches for Jerome Ford.
They got blown out by a mediocre at best team that game, and that's what they want to do more of? Oof...From Matthew Berry's "23 Most Interesting Things Heard At The Combine" :
Cleveland's offense is going to be really interesting next year. Look for the Browns to add a speed wide receiver this off-season to go with Amari Cooper. One source told me “They are really going to open up the offense. Go five wide. Pass a lot. This is going to be Deshaun Watson's offense, not Nick Chubb's. They will pass a lot more than folks expect.”
I was told to go look at the Browns-Steelers game from Week 18. In that game, the opening kickoff temperature was in the 30's. Cold as hell and the Over/Under was 39.5. People expected a low scoring, cold weather, typical AFC North game. Instead, even as cold and windy as the conditions were, Cleveland threw it 29 times while Nick Chubb ran it 12 times in a 28-14 loss for the Browns. Yes, they were down, but my source said that will be much closer to the norm for Cleveland next year. Tons of passing attempts for Watson (likely closer to 40 a game in reasonable weather) with like 12 rushing attempts for Chubb and maybe a few touches for Jerome Ford.
Browns gotta brown.They got blown out by a mediocre at best team that game, and that's what they want to do more of? Oof...Cleveland's offense is going to be really interesting next year. Look for the Browns to add a speed wide receiver this off-season to go with Amari Cooper. One source told me “They are really going to open up the offense. Go five wide. Pass a lot. This is going to be Deshaun Watson's offense, not Nick Chubb's. They will pass a lot more than folks expect.”
I was told to go look at the Browns-Steelers game from Week 18. In that game, the opening kickoff temperature was in the 30's. Cold as hell and the Over/Under was 39.5. People expected a low scoring, cold weather, typical AFC North game. Instead, even as cold and windy as the conditions were, Cleveland threw it 29 times while Nick Chubb ran it 12 times in a 28-14 loss for the Browns. Yes, they were down, but my source said that will be much closer to the norm for Cleveland next year. Tons of passing attempts for Watson (likely closer to 40 a game in reasonable weather) with like 12 rushing attempts for Chubb and maybe a few touches for Jerome Ford.
Unfortunately, the guy who wrote this and got credit as the source isn't a Browns beat reporter, doesn't live in Ohio, isn't even an NFL writer, he covers MLB and lives in LA.
You say this now, but listen to Warriors or SF Giants fans this year.If we win a SB, we can go 0-17 the next decade with smiles on all our faces.
You are 100% wrong then.You say this now, but listen to Warriors or SF Giants fans this year.If we win a SB, we can go 0-17 the next decade with smiles on all our faces.
Whenever there’s a price to pay, fanbases never take losing well.
I believe you now. I just believe you’ll sound a lot different if 0-17 actually happens.
For your (and all Browns fans) sake, I hope those things come to pass so we can find out.You are 100% wrong then.
It happened with the Cavs. Already evidence of itFor your (and all Browns fans) sake, I hope those things come to pass so we can find out.You are 100% wrong then.![]()
You’re unique then, because I know a bunch of extra salty bitter Browns fans who are still sore over LeBron going to Miami.It happened with the Cavs. Already evidence of itFor your (and all Browns fans) sake, I hope those things come to pass so we can find out.You are 100% wrong then.![]()
For your (and all Browns fans) sake, I hope those things come to pass so we can find out.You are 100% wrong then.![]()
I don’t think we’ll ever get to see how Browns fans act after winning the Super Bowl.I believe you now. I just believe you’ll sound a lot different if 0-17 actually happens
Me either unfortunatelyI don’t think we’ll ever get to see how Browns fans act after winning the Super Bowl.I believe you now. I just believe you’ll sound a lot different if 0-17 actually happens![]()
Browns restructured Deshaun Watson's contract.
According to Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns restructured Watson's $46 million base salary to clear $36 million in cap space. It was reported last week that Watson would be willing to restructure his deal if it meant freeing up cap space to sign quality vets in free agency. The Browns were rumored by Cabot to be targeting Bengals free agent safety Jessie Bates in the coming days, which is now possible thanks in part to Watson's restructuring.
SOURCE: Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter
Mar 13, 2023, 9:24 AM ET