The Cleveland Browns have a quarterback decision looming, and the money tied to Deshaun Watson is impossible to ignore. New head coach Todd Monken will ultimately pick between Watson and second-year pro Shedeur Sanders, who finished last season as the starter with uneven results. But here’s the thing nobody’s talking about enough: the Browns have quietly stockpiled nearly $89 million in salary cap credits related to Watson’s injury history.
NBC Sports’ Mike Florio dug into the numbers and found a series of cap credits that stretch from 2024 through 2029. The breakdown runs like this: $8.79 million for 2024, another $8.79 million for 2025, a separate $7.983 million for 2025 — and it keeps going. There are multiple entries for 2026, 2027, and 2028, all adding up to a total of $88.781 million in cap credits. That’s real money, and it’s coming from insurance policies the Browns took out on Watson’s contract.
Florio pointed out that the premiums for that insurance weren’t cheap. But in return, the Browns got refunds for games Watson missed due to injury. That’s the part that changes the math on what’s otherwise a disastrous trade. Cleveland gave up a truckload of draft picks and signed Watson to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. The move was supposed to fast-track a rebuild. Instead, it set the franchise back years.
Watson has played in only 19 games over two seasons with the Browns. He’s had shoulder issues, a suspension, and general inconsistency. Meanwhile, the team keeps paying him like a top-five quarterback while getting backup-level production. The cap credits soften the blow a little, but not enough to make the trade look smart in hindsight.
Still, it’s worth noting what those credits actually represent. They’re not free money. The Browns paid premiums for that insurance, and they only get credits when Watson is hurt and misses time. So it’s a consolation prize, not a strategic win. If you ask most Browns fans whether they’d trade all that cap relief for a healthy, productive quarterback, I think you know the answer.
The real question now is what Monken does with Sanders and Watson. Sanders showed flashes last year but also looked like a rookie at times. Watson’s contract makes him hard to bench, and the cap credits actually make it easier for Cleveland to keep him on the roster without totally wrecking their financial flexibility. But neither outcome looks great, and the team is stuck in a weird middle ground where they’re paying for a star while getting journeyman production.
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