The Cleveland Browns have reportedly restructured quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract in a move that could save the franchise millions of dollars.

Cleveland traded for former Houston Texans quarterback Watson in 2022 and signed him to a massive five-year, $230 million ‘fully guaranteed’ contract.

Watson’s contract was reportedly restructured this offseasonGetty

Watson was supposed to be the face of the franchise but his Browns career has been plagued by a series of off-field issues.

The most notable of which came last week when a civil lawsuit was filed, accusing Watson of sexual assault and battery in October 2020.

Watson denies any wrongdoings.

Watson also struggled through a Week 1 loss last week, being outplayed by Dak Prescott during a 33-17 home defeat to the Dallas Cowboys that prompted serious discussions about whether he should lose his QB1 status.

He went 24-for-45 with 169 yards, a touchdown and a couple of interceptions.

And it goes from bad to worse for the 29-year-old, whose contract was reportedly changed this offseason so it no longer features some of the protections it previously did in the event of a future suspension.

That’s according to Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer, who added that the previous protections were put in place so Watson didn’t lose guaranteed money if he was suspended during the 2022 or 2023 campaigns.

“If he has a suspension moving forward, there could be a chance they could go back and get some of those guarantees,” Glazer said.

Watson has been a disaster since arriving in ClevelandGetty Images – Getty

Watson’s deal was restructured after the 2022 season, and it still has $92 million in guaranteed money remaining on it.

The restructured deal made almost all of his 2024 salary converted into a signing bonus (roughly $44.8 million of the $46 million owed) and was then prorated, which helped create some cap room for the Browns. 

However, after removing the key clause of his fully guaranteed contract, the Browns have the right to claim his guaranteed money should he be suspended again – a move that could save them almost $100 million.

“They should have never signed him in the first place,” one fan posted on X.

“Somehow Cleveland could get out of this giant mistake,” added another.

Watson started for the Browns against Jacksonville in Week 2 despite calls for him to be replacedGetty

The 2017 NFL Draft first rounder has been a disaster since arriving in Cleveland and signing one of the largest contracts in NFL history.

He’s only played in 13 games the last three-plus seasons and is just 8-5 during that time.

The troubled signal caller was also accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by more than 20 women before being traded to Cleveland.

He has always denied any wrongdoing, and 20 claims of sexual misconduct have been settled out of court.

Watson is a three-time Pro Bowler who passed for a league-high 4,823 yards in 2020.

Despite all of the noise around him, the Browns are continuing with Watson under center, for now, and looking to avoid an 0-2 start against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said the organization never considered having Watson sit out against Jacksonville despite calls for veteran QB Jameis Winston to replace him after the Week 1 disaster against the Cowboys.

“We’ll let due process play out and follow the NFL guidelines,” Stefanski said Wednesday.

“We are 100 percent focused on Jacksonville, 100 percent focused on going on the road against a good football team and trying to find a way to get a ‘W.’”

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