When the Browns acquired the highly talented and controversial Houston Texans Quarterback Deshaun Watson in a trade during the 2022 NFL offseason, it seemed to be a risky move. Despite the fact that the 26-year-old passer was the subject of over 20 lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct, teams were still interested in signing him because of his high talent.
Many teams including Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and New Orleans Saints along with Cleveland Browns were touted as favorites to sign the player, and ultimately the Browns team was successful in landing the player.
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But the team was still confronted with some important issues. Could Watson participate in 2022? If so, when would he make his debut? And how will he perform having missed the entire 2021 season due to a disagreement with Houston? How will current quarterback Baker Mayfield be used?
If Deshaun Watson gets suspended, how much money will the Browns save and how much will he lose?
After being traded from the Texans to the Browns, Watson inked a $230 million, five-year contract. Watson’s entire contract is guaranteed but it was highly criticized by the entire league as the situation regarding his legal issues was still unclear.
Watson’s contract has a special arrangement that was made to lessen the effect a suspension might have on his earning potential.
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The details of the contract are:-
Year: 2022 Base Salary: $1.035 million Signing bonus: $8.933 million Cap Hit: $10.028 million Yearly Cash: $46 million
Year:2023 Base Salary: $46 million Signing bonus: $8.933 million Cap Hit: $54.933 million Yearly Cash:$46 million
Year:2024 Base Salary:$46 million Signing bonus:$8.933 million Cap Hit:$54.933 million Yearly Cash:$46 million
Year:2025 Base Salary:$46 million Signing bonus:$8.933 million Cap Hit:$54.933 million Yearly Cash:$46 million
Year:2026 Base Salary:$46 million Signing bonus:$8.933 million Cap Hit:$54.933 million Yearly Cash:$46 million
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In 2022, Watson accepted a base salary of just $1.035 million. By this, Watson would have lost just 1/18 of his weekly base salary if he had been suspended for fewer than a full season. But, Watson will still continue to earn $46 million in cash in the 2022 season. This is possible as a result of Watson receiving a $44.965 million signing bonus from the Browns, which, when combined with his $1.035 million base salary, gives him a total contract value of $46 million for the 2022 season.
What if he is suspended for the whole season?
New NFL contracts begin after a year if a player is suspended for a period longer than a year. Any payment due to him in 2022 would be postponed to 2023 by the NFL, and the same would be done for each succeeding year. This punishment would guarantee that Watson won’t be paid in 2022 and that he’ll have to play a year for a $1.035 million base salary.
If suspended for the whole year, here’s what Watson’s Contract would look like:-
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Year: 2022 Base Salary: $0 Signing bonus: $8.933 million Cap hit: $8.933 million Yearly cash: $46 million
Year: 2023 Base Salary: $1.035 million Signing bonus: $8.933 million Cap hit: $10.028 million Yearly cash: $46 million
Year: 2024 Base Salary: $46 million Signing bonus: $8.933 million Cap hit: $54.933 million Yearly cash: $46 million
Year: 2025 Base Salary: $46 million Signing bonus: $8.933 million Cap hit: $54.933 million Yearly cash: $46 million
Year: 2026 Base Salary: $46 million Signing bonus: $8.933 million Cap hit: $54.933 million Yearly cash: $46 million
Year: 2027 Base Salary: $46 million Signing bonus:$0 million Cap hit: $46 million Yearly cash: $46 million
