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Deshaun Watson is officially back in the NFL after serving a 11-game suspension this season. The former Houston Texans quarterback signed a five-year, $230 million contract after joining the Cleveland Browns this offseason. The quarterback earned his entire $10.5 million salary from the Texans despite not playing a single game for the team last season. Watson's contract structure with the Browns reduced the fiscal effect of the suspension.
Since Watson inked his deal with Houston in 2020, he has made around $53.5 million, with another $29.965 million in upcoming bonus money. Over the last six weeks of the 2022-2023 season, Watson will earn $345K in salary. That totals up to $83.81 million, minus the $5 million fine he was given as part of the 11-game suspension.
Assuming Watson starts the final six games of the Browns' 2022-2023 season, he will have played 22 games over that time frame. The $230 million contract is back-loaded, with him getting an $8.99 million signing bonus in 2022 and making $1.035 million in base salary for the 2022 season. However, the Clemson Tigers star will make huge money with the Browns come next season.
How much will Deshaun Watson make in the 2023-2024 season and beyond?
Starting in the 2023-2024 season, Deshaun Watson will be earning a base salary of $46 million with a cap hit of almost $55 million. The quarterback will be earning that base salary until the 2026 - 2027 season when he'll be a free agent. Watson's contract is the largest ever guaranteed contract in NFL history. That means the 27-year-old will get paid, regardless of injury or bad play.
The contract was seen as a game-changer. Many analysts think the deal has changed the way players, and particularly quarterbacks, will approach negotiations in the future.
In Week 13, the Deshaun Watson era will begin against his former team, the Texans, on the road. We'll see if this contract pays off for the Cleveland Browns as they look to Watson to lead them to the Super Bowl.
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