The Browns have a big decision to make about Deshaun Watson after the season

Going into today's game, the Browns had a short-term and a long-term issue stemming from Deshaun Watson's contract. If, as it appears, Watson suffered a season-ending non-contact Achilles tendon tear (it's not official yet, but the video sIt's about showing something pop), the short-term problem is solved.

The long-term problem remains.

The Browns owe Watson $46 million in 2025 and $46 million in 2026. Every penny is fully guaranteed. That's (the math is hard) $92 million.

Thanks to previous restructuring, Watson's 2025 cap number is $72.935 million. In 2026 it will be the same. And there's another $26 million that would hit the cap if he's released or traded.

The Browns have options. Nobody is good. They could keep him on the roster and let him be the starter. They could keep him in the squad and not let him play. They will definitely pay him $46 million next year.

You could also cut it. But they would still have to pay him. And the consequences for the cap would be devastating.

Before June 1, the cap would be an unimaginable $172.77 million. A release after June 1 would mean $72.935 million in 2025, but in 2026 it would absorb almost $100 million.

A trade would be highly unlikely unless the Browns added significant draft picks to the $92 million another team would inherit. Plus, Watson could eat up some of the salary to make a trade more palatable, but why would he do that? He could simply sit and wait to be released – or get paid not to play.

Given the timing of the injury, there is no guarantee he will even be back to 100 percent by the first week of 2025. In the meantime, the Browns will have the opportunity to find a replacement in free agency and the draft.

However it goes, it's going to be a mess. It's already a mess. And if owner Jimmy Haslam isn't willing to admit, he's made a far bigger mistake than when the homeless guy told him to draft Johnny Manziel.