During Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson ruptured his Achilles. Jameis Winston has been starting in Watson’s place ever since, and the Browns’ offense has significantly improved since the quarterback change. Let’s examine Winston’s contract, 2024 salary, net worth, and career earnings.
Jameis Winston’s Contract and Salary
Last offseason, Winston and the Browns agreed to a fully guaranteed one-year, $4 million contract. This included a $1,210,000 base salary and a $2,790,000 signing bonus.
Winston’s cap hit is just $1,768,000, which ranks 53rd among all quarterbacks this season. For reference, Winston’s cap hit is lower than Philadelphia Eagles QB Kenny Pickett ($1,983,900), Buffalo Bills QB Mitchell Trubisky ($2,000,000), Minnesota Vikings QB Nick Mullens ($2,230,000), and Denver Broncos QB Zach Wilson ($2,726,637) among others.
In PFN’s backup quarterback rankings, Winston is ranked the fourth-best reserve QB in the league.
With Watson starting, Cleveland lost six of their first seven games, and the offense was sputtering. Under Winston, the Browns are 2-2 with impressive wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, and the offense looks much better.
Winston’s numbers are better than Watson’s across the board, but it remains to be seen what the Browns will do in 2025. Winston will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so he’s playing for a new contract.
Winston’s Net Worth and Career Earnings
Winston’s net worth is currently estimated to be $22 million.
This net worth estimate doesn’t even factor in Winston’s endorsement deals or off-field ventures, so this figure might be a bit low.
As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston inked endorsement deals with numerous companies, including Nike and Pepsi.
Throughout the course of his professional career, Winston has earned $76,080,894 from his NFL contracts alone.
Winston is now on his third NFL team, as he has now played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015-2019), New Orleans Saints (2020-2023), and Browns.