The Browns have had to modify several contracts in order to offer themselves some flexibility in order to stay under the NFL’s $224.8 million salary ceiling because of a number of large contracts.
Over the past few days, they have persisted in this tactic, and their two top players were involved in the most recent actions.
According to multiple media reports, the Browns have restructured the contracts of offensive guard Joel Bitonio and defensive end Myles Garrett. OverTheCap.com first broke the Bitonio news, which will see Cleveland convert most of the All-Pro’s 2023, 2024, and 2025 salaries into signing bonuses.
Then on Monday, ESPN’s Field Yates shared that Garrett had agreed to a similar restructuring of his contract, which currently runs through 2026. When combining both changes together, Yates says the Browns now have $34 million in cap space, the most of any team in the NFL.
Cleveland’s retention of its spending power is quite remarkable, especially when factoring in quarterback Deshaun Watson’s massive $230 million guaranteed contract signed just last year. It was Watson himself who actually began this restructuring trend, converting his own 2023 salary to a signing bonus in order to get the team under the limit. This helped open the door for moves like trading for wide receiver Elijah Moore and signing Pro Bowl defensive end Za’Darius Smith.
What the Browns could do with this newfound cap room remains anyone’s guess. The regular-season opener — a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals — is just under three weeks away.
The Browns’ restructuring of Watson’s deal, in which his 2023 base salary will be converted into a signing bonus and spread among the remaining three years of his contract, was largely an expected move and came just hours ahead of the start of the NFL’s “legal tampering” period in which teams are permitted to negotiate with free agents beginning at 12 p.m. ET on Monday. The move comes nearly one year after Cleveland famously signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract — the largest fully guaranteed deal in NFL history.
Prior to restructuring Watson’s contract, the Browns were approximately $14 million over the salary cap — a number they would have to clear ahead of the official start of the NFL’s new league year on Wednesday. According to OverTheCap.com, Cleveland now has approximately $21.88 million in salary cap space, although smaller deals such as cornerback A.J. Green’s one-year contract have yet to be factored in.
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