After striking a deal with the Minnesota Vikings for Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith, the Cleveland Browns have agreed to rework the deal with their newest member.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Vikings are set to eat $1.177 million of Smith’s signing bonus. Smith’s cap hit will be just over $3 million in 2023, but Smith can earn up to $13 million this season with the Browns. It remains to be seen how much of the remainder of his deal is a portion of the signing bonus the Browns are on the hook for or how much of the money is incentive-based for Smith.
Regardless, the Browns do not have to do any further financial maneuvering to get Smith in under the salary cap.
In the reworked deal for Za'Darius Smith to facilitate the trade from Minnesota to Cleveland:
– The Vikings eat $1.177M in the form of signing bonus
– The Browns adjust Smith's cap charge down to $3.032M in 2023
– Smith's upside in 2023 is up to almost $13M in cash
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 16, 2023
