By Dianna Russini, Zac Jackson and Jelani Scott

The Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson have agreed to a restructured contract, a team source said Friday, an indication that the quarterback is set to return in 2025 after a failed 2024 season.

The restructured deal doesn’t reduce Watson’s pay or change his salary structure, but spreads out the financial impact of the contract. Cleveland still owes Watson $92 million fully guaranteed for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and his massive cap hits will remain unchanged. But the restructure creates some flexibility by allowing Cleveland to spread dead money over multiple years if Watson remains on the team through 2026, rather than taking one huge cap hit in 2027.

The adjustment comes three years into a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal Watson signed in March 2022 after Cleveland acquired him via trade. Watson has started just 19 games in three seasons since joining Cleveland. He served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after he was accused of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by more than 20 massage therapists. Last season and this season, he sustained season-ending injuries — most recently tearing his Achilles in October.

Before the injury, the 29-year-old Watson was 1-6 as a starter this season as he and Cleveland’s offense struggled. He completed 137 of 216 pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions in seven games. Cleveland (3-12) has started Jameis Winston (seven starts) and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (one start) in his absence. Thompson-Robinson is under contract for 2025, while Winston will be a free agent.

What does the restructure mean for Watson, Browns going forward?

In a general sense, the move is necessary because Watson’s fully guaranteed contract is one of the worst in NFL history. The Browns face a series of offseason decisions in the coming months that will shape the short-term future of a roster that’s expensive and aging.

The Browns are slated to begin 2025 just barely below the salary cap and with Watson due to count $72.9 million. Even if this restructure does not affect next season’s cap situation, the Browns still have plenty of time to make decisions that will shape next year’s roster and direction.

Gaining long-term flexibility makes sense, as does the front office sending a subtle message to Myles Garrett, who strongly hinted last week that he’s not interested in being part of a rebuild and wants to know the team’s quarterback plan going forward. The Browns have proven that they’ll spend money like crazy. They just have to show that they can spend it wisely — and apparently have to show Garrett that they’ll resist a teardown in the coming months.

The Browns have the right to restructure Watson’s contract at any time and his money is fully guaranteed, so it remains too early to gauge too much from this latest news. Every reference to Watson continues to serve as a reminder of the uncertainty the team faces in the near future. — Zac Jackson, Browns beat writer

(Photo: Morgan Tencza / Imagn Images)