Despite not being in a salary crunch going into the 2024 season, the Cleveland Browns have restructured Deshaun Watson’s deal to free up cap space.

Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Browns converted $44.8 million of Watson’s base salary into a signing bonus to create $35.8 million in cap space.

Yates noted the Browns now have an NFL-high $62 million in cap room.

Per Over the Cap, the Browns had $15.8 million in cap space prior to restructuring Watson’s contract. NFL rules allow teams to carry over their unused cap space from one season into the following year.

ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi noted the Browns, who were already projected to be $44 million over the 2025 cap, are expected to roll over “a majority” of their space from this season to next year.

Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Nick Chubb and Jedrick Wills are among the notable Browns players who can become free agents after this season.

It is notable that Cleveland elected to adjust Watson’s deal given his on-field struggles since joining the team.

Moving on from his contract at any point would have been difficult anyway since it was a fully-guaranteed $230 million, but this all but ensures he will play out the entirety of his five-year deal due to the extreme dead-cap hits the team would absorb if they traded or released him.

Watson has only played in six games in each of his first two seasons with the Browns. He was suspended by the NFL for the first 11 games of the 2022 campaign as part of a settlement with the NFL Players Association stemming from allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women during massage sessions.

A shoulder injury that required surgery limited Watson to six games in 2023. He has thrown for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns, nine interceptions and completed 59.8 percent of his attempts in 12 games for the Browns.

The Browns went 11-6 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020 last season. They will open the 2024 campaign on Sept. 8 at home against the Dallas Cowboys.