After it was announced this month that the NFL’s 2020 Salary Cap was likely to increase to somewhere between $196 and $201 million next season, it probably caused many fans of the Washington Redskins to do some research and find that the team will have approximately $48 million of cap space this coming offseason.
However, there are several moves that could make that number grow even higher for the Redskins, and that increased flexibility might behoove them in other areas this offseason, as they look to find an elite coaching candidate to fill their vacancy at the top stop.
According to NBC Sports JP Finlay, if Washington were to make these five roster moves this offseason, it could potentially clear up $50 million in extra cap-space, giving the Redskins more than $90 million to work with. As it stands now, that would be the third-most in the NFL. Here’s what Washington would need to do:
- Cut CB Josh Norman | Saves $12.5 million in 2020
- Cut WR Paul Richardson | Saves $6.5 million in 2020
- Cut or reach an injury settlement with TE Jordan Reed | Saves $8.5 million in 2020
- Trade LB Ryan Kerrigan | Saves $11.7 million in 2020
- Trade LT Trent Williams | Saves $12.75 million in 2020
All of those roster decisions seem highly possible, and any logical franchise would likely pull the trigger instantly. However….well, I don’t need to say it.
Not only would this freed-up cap-space allow the Redskins to be highly active in free agency, but the added flexibility could be a huge selling point for any coaching candidate who may be wary of stepping into a difficult position in Washington. As it stands now, the Redskins have a stubborn owner, an incompetent general manager, and a whole host of players who are either injured or refusing to play taking up more than half of their cap space. You’d have to be a fool to willingly take on that job.
However, with a few of the moves we mentioned earlier, the Redskins could rid their roster of aging and expensive talent, spend on committed players who are in their prime and surround their talented young core with playmakers who are coming into their own. You pair that with the right coach, and suddenly you have a contender in the NFC East on your hands.
All of this can be done with a few roster decisions and a commitment to the future. Any logical franchise would do it…
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