The Falcons have been scraping by financially over the past couple of seasons and things won’t be any different in 2022.
Currently, Atlanta is $7 million over the projected cap total of $208.2 million. For as much as people joke about the cap being a myth and that dead money means nothing, both are in fact very real and play a role in how active a team can be during the offseason.
Where things sit now, the Falcons have the NFL’s fourth-highest dead cap total at $20.4 million. This is due to the Julio Jones trade last offseason and Dante Fowler’s release. The team is still on the books for Jones because the dead money on trades after June 1 is split over two seasons.
Of the top 10 teams with the highest dead cap totals, the Falcons and Saints are the only clubs exceeding the 2022 projected cap limit. So, how much of the cap space could be taken up by dead money when it’s all said and done?
Here are some potential pre-March 16 cap casualties and how they would affect Atlanta’s cap.