Deshaun Watson's "rigged" Browns contract reportedly not sitting well with other NFL franchise owners

Deshaun Watson's suspension of six games isn’t sitting well with fans or the NFL itself, and then there's his contract. A lot of people aren’t too happy about the structuring of the quarterback's contract.

This year, Watson has a $1.035 million base salary. He will miss out on around $344,655 from missed game checks due to his six-game suspension. His almost $45 million signing bonus will not be impacted.

According to Peter King of NBC Sports, the rest of the league is far from pleased with the contract structure of the quarterback’s deal:

"One influential NFL person told me on this trip that it doesn’t sit well with the league or 31 other owners that the Browns rigged the Watson contract so that his suspension would cause him to lose only a fraction of his 2022 compensation."

The league announced it will appeal the six-game suspension handed down by former judge Sue L. Robinson. They are looking for a more severe penalty. The NFL wants a fine to go along with at least a season-long ban.

The quarterback faced 24 civil lawsuits from women who accused him of sexual misconduct. He has since agreed to resolutions with all but one of the plaintiffs. Robinson wrote in her report that the investigation confirmed the quarterback's role in the accusations.

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Deshaun Watson's contract with the Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns Introduce Quarterback Deshaun Watson

The current suspension of the Cleveland Browns quarterback represents a minimal fiscal loss for him. Especially compared to his overall guaranteed contract of $230 million with the franchise. According to the salary cap site Spotrac, the five-year deal includes a $46 million base salary in each of the subsequent four seasons. No guarantees can be rendered invalid by upcoming suspensions.

The Browns currently have $47.2 million in cap space available, over twice the amount of any other team in the league. It's clear that Deshaun Watson's contract was not so much about aiding the team as lessening the effect of any suspension.

The NFL will doubtless evaluate the situation and potentially make changes to regulations to stop this from happening in the future.

As to what will happen to Deshaun Watson, we’ll have to wait and see. If the NFL drags their feet on this, he will be under center for Cleveland when the season kicks off.

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