3 reasons to hold your breath on Cleveland Browns restructures

Reason No. 1 – Kicking the can

The thing that drives me crazy about the way Andrew Berry has restructured for Cleveland Browns is with void years.  Guys like Anthony Walker, Jadeveon Clowney, and Austin Hooper are no longer on the team, but the Haslems are still cutting them a check. 

Just a quick explanation for those wondering, a void year is when a player has no contractual obligation to play for the team but has a salary that goes toward the cap. Clowney had a one-year deal with the Browns but had two void years of payment, and another two years of receiving a bonus from the organization.

That means in 2023 and 2024, even though Clowney will not be playing on the team (or even if he resigns), the Browns cap will be hindered by $6.4 million. I get why Berry did some of this in 2021 when the cap went down for the first time in forever, but to continue to do this continues to kick the can on the team’s cap space. 

Eventually, a team is going to run out of ways to kick the can and all the restructures and manipulation will catch up. I’m all for it to keep this team competitive, but we must be careful not to overdo it or it could eventually lead to a complete rebuild.