Hold up. What if....

https://brobible.com/wp-content/uplo...se-bengals.jpg


No way that would happen, right?

Because why not?

If they don't spend it, they bank the rollover and it applies to next season's cap and the money they converted to signing bonus that pushed into next season gets covered by the rollover.

Teams should be willing to convert as much salary into signing bonus as possible for guys they're married to. And the player should be happy to do so as well.

Then the issue becomes simply being savvy with the freed space. You can't burn it all up (Because then you don't have the rollover for the following season and that's how the Saints happen).

But there's literally zero reason NOT to do this for either party to the transaction here.

"Watson will have cap hits of $72.9 million each in the 2025 and 2026 seasons, with $172 million and $99 million dead cap hits, respectively." - ESPN

And hell, it may have just been a favor to Watson.

It's guaranteed money so the Browns have already paid it - it's sitting in escrow per NFLPA rules.

So rather than just have it sitting in escrow, might as well let Watson have it. You ain't gonna get him traded so there's no avoiding him EVENTUALLY getting that money. And cutting him won't change anything. It's going to be his by the end of the year so you might as well give it to him now as signing bonus.

Again - literally zero reason NOT to. And while the benefits may be de minimis, there are some even if it's nothing more than creating more angst in the Aiyuk camp that could cause him to push harder for a move. Could be pure optics to him and his agent.

Sure. But the Browns now have $60 million in cap space in 2024. The projected 2025 cap is about $260 million.

So the Browns adjusted Cap, if they don't burn that $60 million, will actually be $320 million.

Again, everything changed with the 1 for 1 rollover. There's no rollover penalty anymore so all of this stuff becomes a LOT more fluid.

If your owner has money, then the salary cap is a myth. This Watson deal was supposed to destroy this team and yet they’ve redone it twice and now have the most cap room in the NFL

They're also stuck with Watson, who isn't good.

Another cap busting QB trade!

Hey Cleveland, if you want Wentz, the bidding starts at 2 1st rounders! You want to get the QB position right, don’t you?

Yes and no.

They still have $145 million in salary cap obligations over the next 3 years and have to keep an eye on that horizon with how they SPEND that money. Because if they turn around and spend that $60 million now (which, honestly, is virtually impossible for them) and enter the 2025 season with the 'regular' $260 million cap while Watson accounts for $72 million of it, that's no bueno.

And where it's REALLY an issue, is if they approach Watson at all for a restructure next season or the season after. His leverage is MASSIVE. And it's a headache of Cleveland's own making.

The cap is something that can always be shirked for 2-3 years. And every time you kick the can, things get just a little tighter.

Cap Hell is a real thing. It's gonna eventually happen to you. But where the 'myth' comes is that Cap Hell should destroy a team for a sustained period of time. It doesn't.

One year of slash and burn can almost always clean a cap sheet. I wouldn't have been opposed to us being more aggressive this season with an eye on just such a season in/around 2027. We just go scorched earth that season and hack away at everyone we can. Accelerate a bunch of shit onto the cap, win 6 games and then jam the accelerator again in 2028.

Additionally, this wasn't about the Browns owner 'having money'.

Remember that this money was already spent. His salary was guaranteed and all guaranteed contracts must be paid up front and placed in escrow. All this did was take Watson's money out of hock.

The Browns actually have a really good roster so I don't fault them for making moves.

The only team that doesn't understand the start over year idea is the Saints.

Signing bonus is taxed differently vs regular pay.

Depends on the state, but yeah - could be.

In some ways it could be detrimental. All depends on how Ohio's taxes compare with the other states Watson would play in.

They don't have the QB though and that's what truly matters.