PFT: Deshaun Watson's Browns Contract Guarantees Can Be Voided If Suspended 2+ Games

Deshaun Watson's five-year, $230 million contract with the Cleveland Browns that runs through the 2026 season is fully guaranteed, but those guarantees can reportedly be voided if he is suspended for on-field infractions.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the guarantees are voided for NFL suspensions with the following exceptions:

• "Player is suspended for not more than one game for violation(s) of the Official NFL Playing Rules"

• "Player is suspended for violation(s) of the Official NFL Playing Rules that, in Club's sole opinion, results from non-egregious conduct"

That means if he is suspended for at least two games for violating on-field rules or if the Browns see a violation that led to a one-game suspension as "egregious," they could void the guarantees.

The language is notable because there was some uncertainty whether Watson was going to be suspended for his on-field actions during Monday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After all, he was called for two unnecessary roughness penalties, grabbed the facemasks of defenders multiple times and even appeared to push an official to the side during a skirmish on the sidelines following one of his penalties.

Yet the NFL ultimately fined him $35,513 for the two unnecessary roughness violations and unsportsmanlike conduct, per Tom Pelissero.

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted part of the fine was for the "violent gesture" of pretending to point guns on the field.

Still, the pushing of the official did not lead to further penalty, and the NFL said "in the judgment of the officials, the contact did not rise to the level of a foul," per Florio. "The officials are called upon to maintain order on the field, and sometimes while performing those duties, there is inadvertent contact between players and officials."

If Watson is eventually suspended for on-field actions, the Browns could have something of an escape from the fully guaranteed contract that may come with some buyer's remorse at this point.

While the Clemson product was a three-time Pro Bowler when he was with the Houston Texans, he has been nowhere near the same player for the Browns. Through eight games with the team between last year and this year, he is completing 57.3 percent of his passes for 1,491 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Cleveland will need him to be much better than that if it is going to challenge in the AFC North.