Before the Cleveland Browns even took the field against the Buffalo Bills, everyone pretty much assumed Deshaun Watson was locked in as the 2026 NFL season starter. Head Coach Todd Monken’s whole vibe seemed to lean hard on the veteran quarterback, even after Shedeur Sanders got the nod for the second preseason game. But then, y’all, things went sideways fast. Cleveland looked like they didn’t even belong on the same field as Buffalo, Sanders looked okay, but Watson? He looked terrible. And if that wasn’t enough, he followed it up with a horrible press conference that’s got everyone wondering if his comments are gonna blow up the starting QB competition.
Watson’s Contract Is a Monster, and Cleveland Is Stuck
This whole mess has quickly flipped the script from just QB play to the absolute nightmare of Watson’s contract. Can the Browns cut him? Yeah, technically, they can. But get this: it would bring no impact for *this* year, only total devastation in 2027. Cleveland is on the hook for a mind-boggling $127 million on the salary cap for Watson, and there’s nothing they can do to change that overall number. The only thing that shifts is *when* he leaves the team.
If they cut him today, or anytime during this season, buckle up: that means a $40.9 million cap hit in 2026 and an absolutely bananas $86.2 million cap hit in 2027. If Watson somehow stays on the team all season, and they release him post-June 1st using the void years, it spreads out a little more: $40.9 million in 2026, $36 million in 2027, and $51.5 million in 2028. Same total, just spread out. As Jack Duffin at The OBR always explains, pushing these hits out eases the *percentage* of the cap due to projected increases, but the actual numbers are still gut-wrenching. That potential $86.2 million dead cap in 2027 would blow past the two most expensive QB releases in NFL history: Russell Wilson’s $53 million with the Broncos and Tua Tagovailoa’s $55.4 million for the Dolphins this year. Miami even has another $43.8 million for Tagovailoa in 2027! That’s just wild.
The Brutal Reality of Cleveland’s Future Salary Cap
So, yes, the Browns *can* cut Watson, but honestly, will they? It seems super unlikely, and here’s why: doing so would totally hamstring the team’s decisions for 2027. Even though Cleveland’s roster has a young and cheap foundation, General Manager Andrew Berry, assuming he keeps his job, is going to need to add serious talent through free agency next year. Right now, if they stick to that post-June 1st release for Watson in 2027, Cleveland could be looking at around $50 million in salary cap space. If they pull the trigger and release him any sooner, all that precious cap space just vanishes. The good news, if you can call it that, is with Watson’s departure all but a certainty next year, the Browns should have over $50 million to play with in 2028.
Given how much this contract absolutely cripples their salary cap for 2027, it’s a brutal choice. Do you stomach the terrible play now and save future flexibility, or rip off the band-aid and blow up the next year’s cap? That’s the messy situation Cleveland is staring down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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