The Arizona Cardinals will not have defensive lineman J.J. Watt on their roster next season. He announced he will retire at the conclusion of the season.
However, he will still impact the salary cap in 2023.
When he signed his two-year contract, it included three voided years to ease the cap hit while he was on the roster.
His $12 million signing bonus was prorated into five parts. However, 60% of that cap hit will come due in 2023. $7.2 million of the $12 million has not counted against the cap yet. It will in 2023.
He has also earned performance bonuses for his sacks. Thus far, he has earned $900,000 in incentives for his sacks. If he gets to 10 sacks, that total will go up to $1 million.
Performance bonuses affect the team’s cap the following year
So while Watt will not be on the team next year, his contract will count either $8.1 or $8.2 million against next year’s cap.
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