Deshaun Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 that was fully guaranteed — or so we were led to believe. While the contract has been a big swing and a miss, it’s now being revealed that an insurance addendum could save the team millions. However, this revelation has surprisingly sparked some backlash, with a few Redditors saying that it’s not fair for the QB.
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We can all agree that Watson’s contract with the Browns has been a bust. His level of play has been lackluster, particularly his poor throwing accuracy. In his final season with the Houston Texans, he completed 70% of his throws. However, in Cleveland, he’s averaged just 61% over three seasons. Watson was also suspended for 11 games due to serious sexual assault allegations and missed an additional 21 games due to injury.
Even the Browns’ owner, Jimmy Haslam, admitted that Watson’s contract was a strikeout. However, that doesn’t mean Haslam can’t save some of the remaining $135 million that he’s supposed to pay his quarterback. In a new insurance policy report retrieved by PFT, it’s been revealed that the team can save up to $55 million in claims for Watson’s injuries.
“For an injury occurring between the start of the 2024 offseason program and the start of the 2025 offseason program, the contract allows for $58.176 million to be recovered by the Browns,” PFT journalist Mike Florio writes.
The money claimed would be a combination of Watson’s 2024 signing bonus, 2024 base salary, and mostly his 2025 base salary, which is set at $46 million. It might be a stretch to recover all of this money in court, but at the very least, it was a smart clause the Browns implemented to give themselves the chance.
Regardless, Reddit users had mixed reactions to the report. Especially in the player empowerment era, one couldn’t understand how the NFL would allow a loophole like this.
“It’s bollocks that insurance gives teams salary cap relief. Seems like a loophole that needs to be closed,” a frustrated fan wrote.
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But others were just mad that the Browns may not have to suffer through the end of this terrible deal. “That’s unfortunate. I, for one, want them to pay out every penny of that cancerous contract,” they penned, while another chimed in, “Nothing more Browns than an article about insurance money being a good sign for the future.”
Another netizen offered their pity to the Cleveland fans: “I root for some sh*t teams, but it has to be hard to be a browns fan.”
It’s difficult not to look down upon the Browns fan base and make jokes. They’re stuck in an endless charade, going from one failed quarterback to the next. Watson was just another pit stop of hope for them. It’s almost cruel at this point.
What’s even worse is that this may not even come to fruition. Insurance companies hate giving money away and will do anything they can to find loopholes in Watson’s contract to avoid paying a football team $55 million. So, this could just be getting some fans’ hopes up about saving cap space heading into 2026.
