Deshaun Watson News: Freeing up cap space

Watson (Achilles) agreed to terms Friday on a restructured contract with the Browns that converts a portion of his $80.71 million cap hit for the 2026 season into bonuses, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Watson's restructure provides Cleveland with increased flexibility ahead of the start of the legal tampering period March 9. The 30-year-old quarterback is heading into the final year of the fully guaranteed five-year contract he inked with the Browns back in 2022, and Cabot reports that Watson is now back to full health after having undergone two surgeries to repair the right Achilles tendon he re-ruptured after the 2024 season. Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry recently named both Watson and Shedeur Sanders as candidates to compete for the team's starting quarterback job in 2026, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.