The Cleveland Browns Have $77 million of Potential Dead Money in 2026

 

Fans, the Browns are getting their butts kicked in the Front Office, and current players scheduled to depart  as free agents could cost the Browns up to $77 million dollars in additional Dead Money charges if they are not re-signed.  This is on top of the $31.7 in "Dead Money" that the Browns are paying off to players no longer with the team such as Dalvin Tomlinson, Juan Thornhill and others.   

Nothing can be done about the 2026 Dead Money. It comes out of the 2026 Cap and it is gone, gone, gone.  But let's talk about the impending Voidable Years money that is scheduled to turn into dead money but isn't quite there yet. 

Jimmy Haslam, Andrew Berry and the Browns are fond of using "Voidable Years" in player contracts to allow them to sign players at a reduced rate, with cap charges due when the player leaves the team and the contract expires.  That is, teams are allowed to defer bonus money until AFTER a player's contract expires.  But if that player leaves the team (retires, is traded or is cut), that money gets charged to that year's cap.  

So for example, Joel Bitonio signed a contract for 2023, 2024 and 2025.  Great.  He got paid $46 million in bonus money.  Great!  That check is cashed and in his bank account.  However, the cap charges are spread over 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029.  If Bitonio is not signed to a new deal, the charges for 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 are going to be deducted from the 2026 salary cap.  That's an appalling $23 million for a player who would not be playing.  That makes no sense, granted, but we're not talking about sense, we're talking about the accounting rules for the NFL salary cap.  

Conversely, if the Browns can talk their players with expiring contracts into signing a new deal, they can continue to spread the bonus money charges five years into the future.

In the case of the Browns O-Line, all five starters plus backup Teven Jenkins have expiring contracts and everyone except right tackle Cam Robinson has "Voidable Years."   Tight end David Njoku and  defensive end Shelby Harris are also scheduled to leave with Voidable Years.  In all, if nobody re-signs and restructures, the "Dead Money" charge to the Browns amounts to $77 million and would come out of the 2026 salary cap.  

Jeepers peepers, that would make $108 Million in Dead Money if nothing is done about it.  

How do you get out of this?  Well, one way would be to re-sign some of these players for one more year, and once again restructure their deals and push the Voidable Year money into the future one more time.  If a player wants to retire, you could even convince a retiring player to sign a contract anyway for a token amount of money, occupy a roster spot, but never show up for work, and that would allow the Browns to once again extend the voidable year money into the future.  You would lose the roster spot, but in effect obtain a loan. This is a horrible way to run a football team, but the Browns are a horrible team.    

"Voidable Years" money is like Crack Cocaine. Haslam  and  Berry seem to be terribly addicted to the concept.  

Not counting the Voidable Years issue, the Browns are currently on the hook for a $301 Million payroll (Top 51 salaries), according to Overthecap.com.  To that you have to add several million for the NFL draft, plus the practice squad, plus in-season injury replacements.  In all we might project $320 M right now.  Prior to refinancing, the Voidable Years adds $77 M, or potentially close to $400 million in commitments.  However, the cap limit will be around $295 million, meaning they must restructure or cut about $105 million.  Needless to say, this will be a very painful process, but it is barely possible.  Restructuring most of these "Voidable Years" is essential, one way or another.

It will mean, however, that more talent will leave the team than will be brought on board.     

Now, to my fellow sportswriters and fans who are fantasizing about expensive free agent wide receivers that are going to come flocking to Cleveland for 2026, you might as well stop deceiving yourselves and the public.  It is not going to happen.  There is no money for free agent extravaganzas like in previous years. Plus nobody with a career wants to come to Cleveland now.