The Cleveland Browns shook the NFL world a year ago by trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson and then signing him to a $230 million, fully guaranteed, contract.
There was much finger-wagging and “tsk, tsking” around the league about the transaction, but the underlying truth was fear among the other owners. If the Browns were going to guarantee the contract of their quarterback, what would happen when our quarterback was up for a new deal?
One aspect of any big-money deal in the NFL is that the collective bargaining agreement requires teams to place any future guaranteed money in an escrow account if that figure exceeds $15 million.