Heading into the offseason, we all heard the doom and gloom predictions for the Cleveland Browns due to their horrendous salary cap situation. They were supposed to be in such terrible shape that they were going to fall apart.
Fast-forward to March and they suddenly seem perfectly fine. A much larger-than-expected cap helped them get closer to the limit and they now have more than $6 million to spend after restructuring Denzel Ward. That move freed up $11 million and it proved just how quickly general manager Andrew Berry can create space.
With free agency set to open soon, Berry will likely be making more moves. Here, we look at five contracts he can look at — and with some maneuvering, free up $71 million.
NOTE: All estimations for extension, restructures, and releases are courtesy of OverTheCap.com
5. Release Jordan Akins ($2 million)
Jordan Akins was supposed to be an underrated signing in 2023 after he had 37 receptions for 495 yards and five touchdowns the prior season. He not only had a solid campaign in 2022 but he spent several years with Deshaun Watson while both were with the Houston Texans.
Unfortunately, Akins never took off for the Browns — and it wasn't just due to the absence of Watson. Akins finished with 15 catches for 132 yards with no touchdowns. That left him with a career-low 8.8 yards per reception.
Should the Browns decide to move on from Akins, it would save them $2 million while leaving just $315,000 in dead money. The only real concern would be the lack of depth after such a move. Harrison Bryant is currently a free agent, although they might prefer to free up that money to keep him around for at least another season.
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4. Find a trade partner for Jedrick Wills ($12.75 million)
Out of all the moves on the list, this one admittedly might be the toughest to pull off. Cleveland enters the 2024 season with a bit of a dilemma on their hands. Jedrick Wills, the No. 10 overall pick in 2020, had the fifth-year option in his rookie deal picked up so his contract is fully guaranteed in 2024.
That means Wills — who struggled mightily in 2023 — is going to make $14.58 million whether he's on the roster or not. That's why the calls to release him don't make a lot of sense. There's no benefit at all to cutting him but the Browns could save some money if they find a trade partner.
This is what happened with Baker Mayfield in 2022 when he was entering the fifth year of his rookie deal. Cleveland had just traded for Deshaun Watson and after several months, finally found a trade partner. With no leverage at all, they had to eat a lot of the money but this time, they're not in a situation where they have to trade Wills. That means they can hold firm, should there be a team that believes he can be salvaged.
Making the trade prior to June 1 would lead to a savings of $12.75 million with a dead hit of $1.829 million. They could wind up saving more than $14 million as a post-June 1 trade but it might be pushing it to try and trade him and get away with paying nothing.
3. Extend Amari Cooper
It's still comical to think that the Browns landed Amari Cooper for a mere fifth-round pick. The Dallas Cowboys are still out there trying to find someone who can replace his production opposite CeeDee Lamb, whereas Cleveland has been sitting back watching Coop set records despite continued uncertainty under center.
Even with Deshaun Watson playing just six games in 2022 and six games in 2023, Cooper has been able to thrive. With Jacoby Brissett, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, and Joe Flacco all throwing him the ball, he hauled in 150 passes for 2,410 yards with 14 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He even became the first player in franchise history to record 1,000 yards receiving in back-to-back campaigns — and set the record for the most receiving yards in a single game (265).
Simply put, Cooper is a cerebral assassin at the position.
He's also entering the final yer of his deal and is scheduled to make $23.776 million. Set to turn 30 this season, he's not going to have too many more opportunities to cash in, so there's no telling if he's going to be willing to sign an extension now, or try and push it off until the offseason.
If Cleveland can get Cooper to start negotiating, that would be a great move on their part. Again, since he will be 30 when the season begins, they don't need to hand out a long-term contract. But if they can add two to three years to his current deal, they could save an estimated $15 million this season. That could be enough to find a top-tier WR2 or even another pass-rusher to play opposite Myles Garrett.
2. Extend Nick Chubb ($8.5 million)
The debate has been intense this offseason. Coming off a torn ACL and MCL in the same left knee that he tore in college back in 2015, Nick Chubb is set to make nearly $16 million this year. He's not expected to be ready by Week 1 after needing two separate surgeries — due to having two torn ligaments — and will be 29 in December.
Chubb has also been given a lot of touches in his career. He's carried the ball 1,238 times in the regular season and has another 123 receptions. Anyone who watches the sport knows running backs at that age and with that type of volume aren't a safe bet.
Throw in the fact that this is one of the most analytic-based front offices in the league and the speculation has run rampant. Some think Andrew Berry will try and release Chubb if he doesn't take a pay cut.
Then, there are fans on the other end of the spectrum. They believe since he's one of the hardest workers in the game he won't be impacted by time and usage — or a torn knee — the way other backs have. Those fans think the idea of Chubb being cut is ludicrous.
In the end, the two sides will likely come to an agreement. Chubb knows he doesn't have much leverage but the Browns won't play hardball with him. Instead, look for them to try and extend him for another couple of years without adding any guaranteed money — or very little at a minimum. That could free up an estimated $8.5 million, which is more than half of his cap number. That gives Chubb the chance to come back while also protecting the team as well.
1. Restructure Deshaun Watson ($33.59 million)
This is by far the biggest move. It's also the most necessary if they plan to be active in free agency.
Cleveland could free up enough with the previous four moves to sign a couple of players and extend some of their in-house players such as linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. But if they want to go for a splash — like they did in 2023 with Dalvin Tomlinson — they will need the $33.59 million they can create by restructuring Deshaun Watson's deal.
Of course, making this move will lead to a lot of backlash. Watson enters the year with a massive cap number of $63.977 million and since his contract is fully guaranteed, the only thing Cleveland can do is continue to push the money down the road and make the number larger in future years. The only way to keep this from leading to an eventual cap hit of $100 million or more is to add voided years to Watson's contract, essentially paying him even when he's gone.
That's less than ideal, which is why the backlash will come. Then again, going into the season with a cap hit of nearly $64 million on the most disliked player in football will lead to just as much negative publicity.
There's no perfect answer for how to handle Watson and his contract. But for a team trying to capitalize on a championship window, this is the move to make so they can target some big fish in free agency.