Browns' Deshaun Watson: Restructure clears up cap space

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The Browns restructured Watson's contract Thursday by converting $44.8 million of his base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $35.8 million in cap space, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports

Watson's restructure could be positioning Cleveland for impending roster moves, as the team now has a NFL-leading $62 million in available salary cap space. Meanwhile, Watson still carries a tremendous $72.9 million salary cap hit for the Browns in both 2025 and 2026. Now heading into his age-29 season, Watson is coming off a quiet preseason in which he was held out of exhibition action and received regular rest days while working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. The team's Week 1 regular-season opener against the Cowboys will represent Watson's first game action since last November.