NFL Teams Are Taking Issue With Deshaun Watson’s Rigged Contract
With the NFL season about to start in a few weeks’ time, the fans are super anxious to see whether their team will start off with a pretty decent performance. But, it’s not only the team’s performance that is in the focus over the last few weeks, as Deshaun Watson’s rigged contract has been the main topic.
This issue is causing some serious problems for the Cleveland Browns. That doesn’t dissuade bettors who were ready to place bets on the Browns at the sports betting Canada sites, though. Reports state that the sports betting sites are being flooded by punters who are eager to watch the new NFL season.
Deshaun Watson’s Deal With the Browns
Deshaun Watson signed a record-breaking 5-year deal worth a $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns back in March. This mega deal also featured a signing bonus of $44.965 million. But, the base salary for the 2022 season will be just over $1 million, following his suspension from the NFL.
That figure will be risen up to $46 million in the following season, which is a stunning sum. The total deal is worth $80 million more than the previous record for fully guaranteed money at signing.
He is currently the second highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, where the top spot goes to Aaron Rodgers, who is earning $4.3 million more than Watson.
The Issue With Deshaun Watson’s Rigged Contract
NFL teams were first furious about the six-game suspension for Deshaun Watson, which they considered to be too light of a punishment. They were also angry about the $344,655 fine for the six-game suspension, which is a very small sum compared to his annual salary at the Browns.
There is no fine on Watson’s signing bonus, but only on his first year’s base salary which is just a little over $1 million. This contract structure has been specially designed to go around a bigger fine.
The NFL has officially announced that it will appeal Watson’s suspension and seek a much harsher punishment. It is being said that the league is asking for an indefinite suspension that will last a minimum of one year, as well as a much bigger fine.
It’s not uncommon for NFL teams to structure the contracts in a certain way so as to reduce the cap hit. Tom Brady is set to make $30 million at Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022, although his base salary is set at $1.12 million with an $11.9 million cap hit.
The Cleveland Browns have $47.2 million in cap space available at the moment, which is more than double when compared to the other teams in the NFL.
It looks like Watson’s deal was more about reducing the impact of a likely suspension that might arise and less about helping the team.
Watson’s Suspension
Deshaun Watson is facing more than 20 civil lawsuits, where many women are alleging sexual misconduct and assault from the NFL star player. As a result of his sexual harassment allegation, Watson was suspended for 6 games, where he won’t receive any pay.
But, he will not receive a fine for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, which angered many people. He was also allowed to take part in the preseason activities with the Cleveland Browns, including their preseason games.
So far Deshaun Watson has agreed to settle all lawsuits but one on the pending sexual harassment cases. Most recently in an interview, Watson apologized to all the women that have been impacted by this situation.
Currently, Watson is involved in active negotiation with the NFL with the purpose of reaching a settlement in the discipline against himself. As things are shaping up at the moment, it seems very likely that a final settlement would come very soon.
Who is Deshaun Watson?
Deshaun Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Between 2017 and 2021, he was part of the Houston Texans, where he managed the highest career completion percentage of all time and the second all-time career passing rating.
In 2020, he signed a 5-year deal worth $111 million, but that deal lasted only 2 years. This March, Watson was traded to the Browns for 3 first-round draft picks and 2 additional picks. The Browns fans were and still are divided about his acquisitio
