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The full, year-by-year contract details for Cleveland Browns WR Dwayne Bowe are now available, which we have illustrated in the table below. It is a two-year deal worth $12.5 million.
| WR Dwayne Bowe - Browns' Contract Breakdown | ||||
| Base Salary | Signing Bonus | Workout Bonus | Total Cap Hit |
|
| 2015 | $ 2,650,000 | $ 1,750,000 | $ 100,000 |
$ 4,500,000 |
| 2016 | $ 6,150,000 | $ 1,750,000 | $ 100,000 | $ 8,000,000 |
| Total | $ 4,250,000 | $ 3,500,000 |
$ 200,000 | $ 12,500,000 |
- When I first looked at the base salaries for Bowe's contract, I thought that the $6.15 million base salary in 2016 made this a very cuttable contract next year. That changed when I heard how much guaranteed money Bowe is getting: $9 million.
- Let's break down the $9 million in guarantees: first, you have the $3.5 million signing bonus. Bowe's 2015 base salary of $2.65 million is guaranteed, bringing the sum to $6.15 million guaranteed. Lastly, $2.85 million of Bowe's 2016 base salary is guaranteed.
- If the Browns cut Bowe next offseason, they will have to carry $4.6 million in dead cap space. On the surface, one might think, "they might as well keep him both years." However, if he's on the roster next year, his total cap hit is $8 million. If the Browns draft a good receiver this year, Bowe has a bad year, and Josh Gordon comes back next year, they would actually save $3.4 million in dedicated cap space by cutting Bowe. We'll see how things develop -- if Bowe has a half-way decent year and Cleveland doesn't break the bank on free agents next year, I think he'll stick around.
- Bowe has the 11th highest cap figure on the Browns in 2015, just behind WR Andrew Hawkins. The Chiefs actually have $8.894 million in dead cap space dedicated to Bowe too this year. However, that is due to a big signing bonus he had in Kansas City, so that isn't new cash that Bowe is personally double dipping on.