2022 Cleveland Browns Thread

Browns options regarding restructuring Watson contract. They could help for 2023 but push $$$ into future years, ie, kick the can down the road.

No 1st rd pick until 2025, cap concerns & character concerns all for a guy who went 3-3 last year and the Browns are a projected 3rd or 4th in the AFC North heading into 2023 season.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Browns have automatic right to restructure Deshaun Watson's contract

There's an important reason why quarterback Deshaun Watson is reportedly open to a restructuring of his contract.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
 
WJ-OSU-STEELERS said:
Browns options regarding restructuring Watson contract. They could help for 2023 but push $$$ into future years, ie, kick the can down the road.

No 1st rd pick until 2025, cap concerns & character concerns all for a guy who went 3-3 last year and the Browns are a projected 3rd or 4th in the AFC North heading into 2023 season.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Browns have automatic right to restructure Deshaun Watson's contract

There's an important reason why quarterback Deshaun Watson is reportedly open to a restructuring of his contract.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1633150839228362762
 
WJ-OSU-STEELERS said:
How cute, the Browns think they have their franchise qb - a guy they paid $230 mil over 5 years for a 3-3 record.

The Ravens will figure it out, with or without Jackson. The Browns……history says the Browns either made the wrong decision in signing Watson or will make the wrong decisions moving forward with him.
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All the really smart football analysts said "be sure to judge Watson on his first few games back after being out of football for two years." Oh wait, no that was the stupid ones who said that.
 
sounds like the Browns restructured Watsons contract... giving them a extra $34 million in salary cap... after listening to 850 espn radio....

sounds like free agent DL is on the table today, with the browns getting one of the two Eagles tackles or former buckeye lineman from Denver
 
bigkat said:
sounds like the Browns restructured Watsons contract... giving them a extra $34 million in salary cap...
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this is so annoying. Teams should be punished (outside of just having to pay millions) for giving out incredibly expensive contracts. What’s the point of the cap if it can be manipulated like that? I’d feel the same way if the Bengals did this with Trey Hendrickson (I believe he’s the highest paid Bengal).
 
Converting the salary to a signing bonus and adding an extra voidable year so they could spread out the signing bonus over another year…..it’s sounds good & can work for 2023 season but it’s only going to make the breakup more messy & painful. Per Overthecap.com here is the updated #’s on Watson’s contract:

2023 - $19.05 mil cap hit
2024 - $63.97 mil cap hit
2025 - $63.97 mil cap hit / $136.9 mil dead money if Watson is cut
2026 - $63.97 mil cap hit / $72.9 mil dead money if Watson is cut
2027 - $8.9 mil dead money, Watson’s contract ends after the 2026 season & will be a free agent. However, Browns will have this $8.9 mil on the books for him.


profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Browns restructure Deshaun Watson's contract

The Browns acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson around this time last year and gave him a contract that they've restructured ahead of the start of the new league year.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
 
tom 48 said:
The old" Football was meant to be played outdoors" has resulted in a total waste of money and lost business opportunities. A new stadium would have to be domed and used for many more events or don't bother building one. As it stand right now, the outdoor stadium stands unused except for the Browns and a handful of other small events. And it certainly hasn't resulted in a home field advantage. Football has changed from the days of the wing-t and so should the facilities.

Of course an indoor stadium would cost well in excess of one billion dollars, so there's the cost. The Haslams certainly have no sense of timing in advocating for a new stadium and spending about $3.2 billion for a share of the Milwaukee Bucks the same week. They can certainly finance a new facility or, at least, the large majority of it.
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Who's fault is it that it isn't utilized more? There's no excuse to not have more events at the stadium. They finally figured it out with some hockey games there.

I don't see Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Seattle, NY, Buffalo demanding a dome.

And you need a competitive team before it provides an advantage.
 
Orin Swift said:
this is so annoying. Teams should be punished (outside of just having to pay millions) for giving out incredibly expensive contracts. What’s the point of the cap if it can be manipulated like that? I’d feel the same way if the Bengals did this with Trey Hendrickson (I believe he’s the highest paid Bengal).
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You may want to revisit this in a few years after Burrow gets his.
 
Orin Swift said:
this is so annoying. Teams should be punished (outside of just having to pay millions) for giving out incredibly expensive contracts. What’s the point of the cap if it can be manipulated like that? I’d feel the same way if the Bengals did this with Trey Hendrickson (I believe he’s the highest paid Bengal).
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Perfectly legal, in fact, Watson's contract includes this feature, so if the team wants to do this annually, they can.

Watson cannot say "no".
 
y2h said:
You may want to revisit this in a few years after Burrow gets his.
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Nah, I’ll feel the same if the Bengals attempt to manipulate the cap (they won’t, Mike Brown won’t have that type of cash on hand). The Saints are the worst offenders. Again, why have a salary cap if you can just easily get around it?
 
Orin Swift said:
Nah, I’ll feel the same if the Bengals attempt to manipulate the cap (they won’t, Mike Brown won’t have that type of cash on hand). The Saints are the worst offenders. Again, why have a salary cap if you can just easily get around it?
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In principle I agree. Same with the NBA...we have a cap...but if you don't mind paying a little extra in tax what cap?
 
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Dre'Mont Jones to Seattle. Who's left for the Browns d-line, or are they going to be as pitiful as last year, saying, " We are relying on our young players to improve"?

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Report: Dre'Mont Jones agrees to terms with Seahawks

The Seahawks are signing defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones to a three-year, $51.53 million contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
 
The Browns projected salary cap #’s:
2023 - $21.8 mil under cap of $224.8 mil after Watson’s contract restructure. No 1st rd pick
2024 - $14.6 mil over projected NFL salary cap of $256 mil for each team. This is the 2nd worse in the NFL. No 1st rd pick
2025 - $207 mil, projected NFL salary cap of $282 mil. Browns have the least amount of cap space in NFL for 2025
2026- $158 mil, projected NFL salary cap of $308 mil. Again, Browns have the least amount of cap space in NFL for 2026
 
tom 48 said:
Dre'Mont Jones to Seattle. Who's left for the Browns d-line, or are they going to be as pitiful as last year, saying, " We are relying on our young players to improve"?

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Report: Dre'Mont Jones agrees to terms with Seahawks

The Seahawks are signing defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones to a three-year, $51.53 million contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
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How dare he go to Seattle after Mary Kay wrote that flowery, feel good piece about him coming home to Cleveland?
 
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WJ-OSU-STEELERS said:
The Browns projected salary cap #’s:
2023 - $21.8 mil under cap of $224.8 mil after Watson’s contract restructure. No 1st rd pick
2024 - $14.6 mil over projected NFL salary cap of $256 mil for each team. This is the 2nd worse in the NFL. No 1st rd pick
2025 - $207 mil, projected NFL salary cap of $282 mil. Browns have the least amount of cap space in NFL for 2025
2026- $158 mil, projected NFL salary cap of $308 mil. Again, Browns have the least amount of cap space in NFL for 2026
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Meaningless numbers that will change over time. Teams that appear to have cap space now won’t have it when the re-sign/sign certain players…especially qb’s. The cap itself may rise. Trades. Cuts. Restructured deals. It’s dynamic and not worth worrying about.
 
cjb5656 said:
Meaningless numbers that will change over time. Teams that appear to have cap space now won’t have it when the re-sign/sign certain players…especially qb’s. The cap itself may rise. Trades. Cuts. Restructured deals. It’s dynamic and not worth worrying about.
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It’s not meaningless, the handling of the cap & 3 years of no 1st round rookie contract talent will only handcuff the Browns in years 3-5 of Watson’s contract. The Browns are married to Watson through 2026 season, cutting him earlier than that will result in a $75+ million dead cap hit.

This season will be the best version of the Deshawn Watson led Brownies…..only downhill from here due to cap concerns and their star players getting old: Chubb, Garrett, Ward, Cooper, Teller.
 
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WJ-OSU-STEELERS said:
It’s not meaningless, the handling of the cap & 3 years of no 1st round rookie contract talent will only handcuff the Browns in years 3-5 of Watson’s contract. The Browns are married to Watson through 2026 season, cutting him earlier than that will result in a $75+ million dead cap hit.

This season will be the best version of the Deshawn Watson led Brownies…..only downhill from here due to cap concerns and their star players getting old: Chubb, Garrett, Ward, Cooper, Teller.
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I don’t disagree about the lack of first rounders and the aging of key players, but I’m no longer a believer in cap issues. There seem to be ways around it. If the Browns don’t succeed it will be because Watson doesn’t play at a Pro Bowl level.
 
si.com:

DT Dalvin Tomlinson to the Browns​

The Browns have found their much-needed run stopper.

Dalvin Tomlinson, who spent the past two seasons clogging lanes for the Vikings, reportedly agreed to a massive four-year, $57 million contract with the Browns, which includes $27.5 million guaranteed, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

The Browns allowed 135 rushing yards per game last season, which ranked 25th in the NFL. Tomlinson, 29, will help in that department, but the Browns missed on the younger free agents, such as Dre’Mont Jones and Zach Allen. To compare, Tomlinson could make $14.25 million annually, with Jones and Allen reportedly expected to make $17 million and $15 million annually, respectively. Not a drastic difference, but all contracts are structured differently and it depends on where the player wants to sign. —GM

Grade: B minus

The same article said this about Dre'Mont Jones, which is not what the Browns need:

Jones will likely help Seattle with its pass rush, but he had issues defending the run during four seasons with the Broncos, and the Seahawks need help stopping the run.

DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to the Browns​

The Browns found help for star edge rusher Myles Garrett.

Okoronkwo, the former Texan and Ram, agreed to a three-year deal worth $19 million, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. The deal could go as high as $22 million, Rapoport added.

Okoronkwo is coming off a productive season with the Texans in which he recorded 44 total tackles and five sacks. He’s an ascending player who will likely replace Jadeveon Clowney, but that might not be enough help for Garrett on the Browns’ defensive line. —GM
 
tom 48 said:
si.com:

DT Dalvin Tomlinson to the Browns​

The Browns have found their much-needed run stopper.

Dalvin Tomlinson, who spent the past two seasons clogging lanes for the Vikings, reportedly agreed to a massive four-year, $57 million contract with the Browns, which includes $27.5 million guaranteed, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

The Browns allowed 135 rushing yards per game last season, which ranked 25th in the NFL. Tomlinson, 29, will help in that department, but the Browns missed on the younger free agents, such as Dre’Mont Jones and Zach Allen. To compare, Tomlinson could make $14.25 million annually, with Jones and Allen reportedly expected to make $17 million and $15 million annually, respectively. Not a drastic difference, but all contracts are structured differently and it depends on where the player wants to sign. —GM

Grade: B minus

The same article said this about Dre'Mont Jones, which is not what the Browns need:

Jones will likely help Seattle with its pass rush, but he had issues defending the run during four seasons with the Broncos, and the Seahawks need help stopping the run.

DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to the Browns​

The Browns found help for star edge rusher Myles Garrett.

Okoronkwo, the former Texan and Ram, agreed to a three-year deal worth $19 million, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. The deal could go as high as $22 million, Rapoport added.

Okoronkwo is coming off a productive season with the Texans in which he recorded 44 total tackles and five sacks. He’s an ascending player who will likely replace Jadeveon Clowney, but that might not be enough help for Garrett on the Browns’ defensive line. —GM
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If the Browns had even an AVERAGE run defense last year, they probably would have won 4 or 5 more games.
 
cjb5656 said:
I don’t disagree about the lack of first rounders and the aging of key players, but I’m no longer a believer in cap issues. There seem to be ways around it. If the Browns don’t succeed it will be because Watson doesn’t play at a Pro Bowl level.
Click to expand...
I disagree. If the Browns don't succeed it will be because they failed to be adequately motivated by brian1227's criticism.
 
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