Let’s all take a second and sing.
Seven swans-a-swimming, eight maids-a-milking, nine ladies dancing, 10 interceptions in the last four games by Cleveland Browns quarterbacks.
Yikes. This year’s songs are a little different with the Browns 3-12 at the Christmas holiday. Everything’s a little different as the team faces uncertainty across the roster and organization going forward. Maybe you’re still moved by the holiday spirit and perhaps only focused on April’s draft, but in either case, we mark this year not with the 12 days of Christmas but with the Browns’ 12 biggest salary-cap numbers for 2025 and an early look at how they might be addressed.
Rejoice? Not really. Let’s explore anyway, with numbers via Over the Cap.
Deshaun Watson: $72.9 million
If you think that jumps off the page, consider that Watson carries the same fully guaranteed number for 2026. The Denver Broncos took on a record $85 million in dead money to move on from Russell Wilson in March. The Browns are committed to double that with Watson.
Right now, Watson is signed through 2026 with Cleveland also due to take on $27 million in dead money in 2027 through Watson’s multiple restructures. The Browns gave up three first-round picks to go all-in on a quarterback who flopped, and now everything is unsettled.
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Because Watson’s money is guaranteed, he probably still will be on the roster in some fashion in 2025 even though he’s not in the team’s plans. The Browns could explore a post-June 1 cut that would accelerate their 2025 and 2026 cap commitments to Watson, or they even could look to again reduce his 2025 number and push money further back. But it’s too early to know which route they’ll take.
The decision on exactly how to handle Watson’s roster status and salary-cap hits won’t come until the Browns decide how they’re going to handle multiple decisions, many of which are outlined in the rest of this list. After a record jump to $255 million for 2024, the salary cap is expected to be around $270 million next year. The Browns have Watson set to account for about 25 percent of that, and they already have around $40 million in dead money on the contracts of Amari Cooper and Za’Darius Smith.
Denzel Ward: $24.6 million
The Browns pushed money forward on Ward’s deal earlier in 2024, and the team feels good about its long-term commitment to a true No. 1 cornerback. Ward turns 28 in April and is having arguably his best season. He’s one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks and is atop the relatively short list of Browns players guaranteed to be on the roster for the entire 2025 season.
Myles Garrett: $19.7 million
Garrett turns 29 Sunday, and after becoming the youngest player to reach 100 career sacks, he’ll now try to win the NFL’s sack title over the last two games. But everybody’s talking about what Garrett said last week, not necessarily what he did.
In a sharp reversal from previous conversations, Garrett strongly hinted that he could ask out if the Browns don’t present him with a plan to return to playoff contention.
“I’m not trying to rebuild,” he said.
Well, Myles, we have some news about the state of the team.
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The Browns don’t want to trade Garrett, but the reality is they probably have to at least discuss it and explore what kind of draft capital he could bring in return. Garrett is under contract for two more seasons, and maybe the Browns will offer him a raise and extension as part of their February and March refinancing project.
The team would still have to account for around $36 million on the cap if it traded Garrett. That could be split over multiple years after June 1 (and would be less of an immediate hit for the acquiring team into next season), but Cleveland trading Garrett would be part of a rebuilding project that includes the team looking to swallow dead money right away and point multiple years to the future.
Jack Conklin: $19.5 million
Conklin has come back to play well in his age-30 season, and the Browns probably would like to keep him. But Conklin’s guarantees have been paid, and Cleveland might not be able to afford him. The Browns could save around $16 million on next year’s cap by making Conklin a post-June 1 cut, and they probably can’t trade him at his current number. They could try to restructure, but Conklin might think he can still get one more strong contract from another team. Stay tuned.
Wyatt Teller: $14.4 million
Teller, 30, is still playing at a high level and is under contract for one more season. Whether the Browns resist or embrace a teardown in the coming months, Teller is one of several players who could get an extension and/or restructure to help the team clear 2025 cap space. If the Browns embrace a youth movement, Teller would likely have trade suitors.
Joel Bitonio: $14.3 million
Here at the end of the 11th season of what could be a Hall of Fame career, Bitonio has insisted he’s not ready to make any decisions on his future. Bitonio, 33, recently said he loves being a Brown and doesn’t know what his body will tell him a few months from now, so he’s currently not thinking about 2025 — the final year of his deal.
The team obviously will need to know Bitonio’s plans at some point before the start of the new league year in March. There are multiple moving (or potentially moving) parts to this puzzle, and not just on the offensive line.
Greg Newsome II: $13.4 million
The Browns picked up Newsome’s fully guaranteed fifth-year option for 2025. That’s a lot of money for a third cornerback, which is why they can’t expect to get much of anything in return if they find a trade suitor. They could rework Newsome’s deal to lower next year’s hit, as they did with Jedrick Wills Jr., or they could hold on to Newsome at the current number and hope he produces a big season in a contract year. His 2024 Pro Football Focus grade is 52.2, which ranks 171st of 216 cornerbacks graded.
Jedrick Wills Jr.: $11.8 million
Wills doesn’t have a contract for next season, but the Browns will take on $11.8 million in dead money if he isn’t on the team due to previous restructures. Wills was injured midway through 2023 and never got healthy this year. It’s hard to see him returning to the Browns, even if he can get healthy, so it’s probably time for the team to find a new left tackle.
Dawand Jones moved to left tackle this season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Jones probably figures as an opening-day starter at either left or right tackle next year, but both of Jones’ seasons have been cut short by injury.
David Njoku: $11.8 million
The Browns have repeatedly invested in Njoku, who delivered a monster stretch in 2023 but hasn’t been as explosive or as available this season. Njoku, 28, is under contract through 2025, but the Browns still have about $24 million in total cap commitments to the tight end past next year as part of their 2023 restructure.
David Njoku, who has 64 receptions for 505 yards and five touchdowns through 11 games this season, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Dalvin Tomlinson: $11.5 million
If the Browns think they can be a playoff team in 2025, they’ll probably keep Tomlinson for his age-31 season, potentially at a reworked number. If the team takes a longer-term approach, Tomlinson will either be traded for a late-round pick or released in early 2025.
Tomlinson was a great addition to the 2023 defense that became one of the league’s best. His guarantees have been paid, but he’s under contract for two more seasons with about $17 million in cap commitments.
Jerry Jeudy: $8 million
Jeudy got extended shortly after being acquired in March. After Watson couldn’t get Jeudy the ball for a prolonged stretch, the receiver spent November setting career highs and playing like a top-10 player at his position. Now, his extension looks like a relative bargain.
Can the Browns get someone to get him the ball in the future? And can they find more explosive pass catchers to complement him going forward? Jeudy, 25, is signed through 2027.
Ethan Pocic: $7.8 million
Pocic, 29, is under contract through 2025 with only about $4 million in void-year dead money after that. He’s been the Browns’ starting center for three seasons, and his future probably depends on how the team decides to proceed. If Bitonio and Teller return and the Browns think they can make the playoffs next year, they’ll keep Pocic. If not, they’ll probably look to replace (and potentially trade) the center during the draft.
(Top photo of Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II: Corey Perrine / Florida Times-Union]
