Trade: [BUF/CLE] Amari Cooper and 2025 6th for 2025 3rd and 2026 7th

[Unholy Diver]

They can’t really. They’re tied to Watson

Tied like a corpse being dragged by cement blocks to the bottom of Lake Erie

 

[StreetHawk]

Tied like a corpse being dragged by cement blocks to the bottom of Lake Erie

Probably a reason why fully guaranteed contracts can't be longer than 3 years like the Cousins deal when he arrived in Minny. If Watson got the same, with only the first 3 years guaranteed, they'd cut him at the end of the season and figure out the $70 mill of dead cap over 2 seasons.

Because the elite players were getting about 3 years of their contracts guaranteed, but the extra years allowed the SB and any restructures to be spread over longer.

 

[Mrfenn92]

It’s rebuild time for Cleveland. Dump Watson eat the cap hits and build anew.

 

[Romang67]

It’s rebuild time for Cleveland. Dump Watson eat the cap hits and build anew.

They can't dump him. His dead cap money is almost $173M next season. $100M the year after might, I guess, be doable with a complete scorched earth rebuild. But $173M is impossible to work around.

 

[Karterthadon]

Gotta keep playing him, get high picks, draft his replacement and go from there.

 

[Mrfenn92]

They can't dump him. His dead cap money is almost $173M next season. $100M the year after might, I guess, be doable with a complete scorched earth rebuild. But $173M is impossible to work around.

Think it’s complete scorched earth time. Unless you tie Watson with stefanski and Barry. Either succeed or not.

 

[Romang67]

Think it’s complete scorched earth time. Unless you tie Watson with stefanski and Barry. Either succeed or not.

I'd bench him, make him inactive, keep him away from the team, hope he does something to void his contract in his free time (I'm sure it doesnt matter to the Browns, but I would like this to be without hurting someone else), and otherwise try to forget about him. Cut him after the 2026 season. It makes the most sense from a cap perspective.

But you can't keep playing him. He's making every other player on the offense worse. The O-line has to hate playing with him. Same thing with the receivers.

 

[Mrfenn92]

I'd bench him, make him inactive, keep him away from the team, hope he does something to void his contract in his free time (I'm sure it doesnt matter to the Browns, but I would like this to be without hurting someone else), and otherwise try to forget about him. Cut him after the 2026 season. It makes the most sense from a cap perspective.

But you can't keep playing him. He's making every other player on the offense worse. The O-line has to hate playing with him. Same thing with the receivers.

Think Kevin needs ownerships permission for that

 

[StreetHawk]

I'd bench him, make him inactive, keep him away from the team, hope he does something to void his contract in his free time (I'm sure it doesnt matter to the Browns, but I would like this to be without hurting someone else), and otherwise try to forget about him. Cut him after the 2026 season. It makes the most sense from a cap perspective.

But you can't keep playing him. He's making every other player on the offense worse. The O-line has to hate playing with him. Same thing with the receivers.

Without any change to his contract, he's a $73 mill cap hit next season. Total cap hit is $73 mill in 2025 and $73 mill in 2026 with $27 mill in 2027 as they pushed some dead cap into a voidable year.

So almost $173 mill left to take. If he's a post June 1 cut in 2025, it's $119 mill in dead cap for 2025 with $54 mill for 2026.

So, really depends on how the Browns want to take their medicine. But, they clearly can't do any restructure onto his contract. Have to begin eating it sooner rather than later.