Tag: salary cap space

Broncos can create a lot more cap space with restructured contracts

The Broncos can create more than $48 million in additional salary cap space by restructuring select contracts this offseason.

The Denver Broncos could create an additional $48,817,438 in salary cap space this offseason by restructuring select contracts, according to an estimate from OverTheCap.com.

Teams can restructure items like roster bonuses and base salaries by converting them to signing bonuses and spreading the cap hits out over the course of the contract. For example, a 2023 roster bonus of $1 million on a four-year contract could be restructured to a signing bonus with cap hits of $250,000 over four seasons. That could save $750,000 in cap space in Year 1 as a simple restructure.

Teams can also do a maximum restructure by adding void years or an extension to the current years of an existing contract. That’s a more complicated process. Denver could create an additional $92,106,104 through maximum restructures, but that’s unpractical and unlikely to happen.

Broncos general manager George Paton will likely execute several simple restructures, though, and that could create more than $48 million in additional cap space, bringing the team’s total to $57,218,495.

Here are 10 players who could be restructure candidates for Denver, courtesy of OverTheCap.com:

  • OLB Randy Gregory: $9,690,000
  • WR Courtland Sutton: $8,613,333
  • DB Justin Simmons: $6,617,500
  • OT Garett Bolles: $6,335,000
  • QB Russell Wilson: $5,468,000
  • DL D.J. Jones: $4,460,000
  • WR Tim Patrick: $3,460,000
  • OLB Jacob Martin: $1,585,000
  • K Brandon McManus: $1,242,500
  • CB Pat Surtain: $812,855

The Broncos are currently projected to have about $13,698,473 in cap space, but several cap-saving moves are likely on the way. Stay tuned.

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How much salary cap space do the Broncos have this offseason?

Cap space projections for the #Broncos range from $9.2 million to $13.6 million. We’ll have a more exact number later this offseason.

How much salary cap space do the Denver Broncos have available going into the 2023 NFL offseason?

Well, that depends on who you ask.

The team has about $9,208,724 available, according to OverTheCap.com. But a look at Spotrac.com gives an estimate of $12,020,090. For what it’s worth, our rough estimate of $13,698,473 is closer to Sporac’s than OverTheCap’s projection.

We won’t know the team’s exact amount of available salary cap space until after the NFL audits the team’s rollover cap total from 2022. The team is expected to roll over about $10.6 million, and that total is factored into the above projections.

Broncos general manager George Paton could create additional salary cap space by restructuring select contracts and releasing a few players. Cutting Graham Glasgow alone would create an additional $11 million in cap space.

Denver will also have to account for giving contract extensions to some of their in-house free agents, perhaps including defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones. Signing Jones to a multi-year extension would give the team more cap flexibility than a one-year franchise tag.

NFL free agency is set to begin on March 15. We don’t yet know the team’s exact cap space, but it should be in the range of $10-$13 million, and the Broncos should be able to create more cap space this offseason.

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Every NFL team’s estimated salary cap space in 2023

Here is a look at where each NFL team stands in terms of their salary cap flexibility ahead of the 2023 offseason.

The NFL announced their $224.8 million salary cap number for the 2023 season this week, which is sure to have implications for the Los Angeles Chargers as well as the league’s other 32 teams.

Los Angeles is currently overextended relative to the cap and will need to make some tough decisions in the offseason to get under the salary threshold heading into the new season. Though they don’t necessarily need to part ways with the top talent on their roster, the Chargers’ fiscal mobility relative to player contracts is severely restricted at this juncture.

Check out every team’s projected cap space below to see just how deep the hole general manager Tom Telesco will have to dig out of:

NFL increases salary cap for 2023 season

The Broncos are projected to have around $13.7 million in salary cap space this offseason. Denver can (and will) create more cap space.

The NFL has set the 2023 salary cap at $224.8 million for each team, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. That’s more than a $16 million increase from last year’s salary cap.

The Denver Broncos have about $10.6 million worth of unused cap space that will roll over from the 2022 season and be added to their 2023 total. That put Denver’s team-specific salary cap in the range of $235,405,233.

The Broncos currently have $221,706,760 worth of “top 51” contracts counting against their 2023 budget, according to OverTheCap.com. Those contracts subtracted from the team’s salary cap leave Denver with about $13,698,473 worth of cap space going into the offseason.

The Broncos can (and will) create additional cap space by restructuring contracts and cutting select players. Denver general manager George Paton will have plenty of time leading up to the start of free agency (March 15) to find ways to create more cap space.

The Broncos have 18 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March, perhaps most notable including defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones.

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Tom Telesco unperturbed by the Chargers’ cap situation heading into offseason

Tom Telesco didn’t seem to think the Chargers’ cap situation was an issue heading into the 2023 season.

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco talked about the team’s future and his organization’s trajectory heading into the offseason.

With a total cap liability well over the league’s maximum, Los Angeles seems destined to make some hard moves over the next several months to get their spending back to where it needs to be before the new season starts.

Asked how the upcoming free agency frenzy might differ from previous years, Telesco wasn’t sure how the Chargers’ cap situation might affect his ability to make moves to improve Los Angeles’ roster.

“I don’t know about other offseasons. It may be different than last year’s offseason. Every year is a little bit different. This year will be a little bit different, not as much [salary cap] space to work with, which is fine. Every offseason is a little bit different. Certainly, this year will be different than last year’s.”

The Chargers are currently projected to be $19.4 million over the salary cap in 2023, the fifth-worst situation in the NFL. Therefore, after going all out in free agency a year ago, it’s unlikely that Telesco will swing for the fences.

Instead, he may have to make some tough decisions to free up some cap space to sign a rookie class and free agents, as well as extend eligible players like quarterback Justin Herbert.

Broncos rolling over about $10.6 million in salary cap space for 2023

The Broncos are rolling over about $10.6 million worth of unused salary cap space from this season into 2023.

NFL teams can roll over leftover salary cap space from the current season into the next year each winter. This season, the Denver Broncos had about $10.6 million worth of unused cap space that will be added to general manager George Paton’s total for 2023.

Denver is rolling over the third-highest unused cap total in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Only the Cleveland Browns ($27.58 million) and Carolina Panthers ($10.75 million) have higher totals.

The NFL still has to audit incentives and bonuses before confirming official rollover numbers for each team, but the Broncos’ number should be similar to this initial estimate.

Denver currently has $221,682,223 worth of cap space going toward 2023 contracts (top 51), according to OverTheCap.com. The league’s salary cap is expected to be more than $220 million next year, according to NFL Network. So before making any cap-saving moves, the Broncos are projected to have about $9.5 million in cap space going into the offseason.

As things stand now, it looks like Denver won’t be able to make many big splashes during free agency, especially with several of their own in-house free agents deserving of contract extensions.

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How much salary-cap space will Colts have in 2023?

Here’s a look at how much salary-cap space the Colts have entering the offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts are cleaning out their lockers this week following the conclusion of the regular season and are looking toward what should be a pivotal offseason for the franchise.

Finding a new head coach is the top priority for the team right now as well as figuring out the quarterback position. But the salary cap will play a large role in how the Colts go about their offseason moves.

The league has yet to announce what the exact salary cap will be, but reports were that it is expected to exceed $220 million this offseason, which would be the highest its ever been.

Based on a $225 million salary cap, Over The Cap has the Colts sitting with $29,461,686 in cap space, which is the 11th-most in the NFL.

That is certainly subject to change once the salary cap is officially set, and the Colts are likely to make several moves that will impact their cap space before the new league year arrives March 15.

The biggest question surrounds Matt Ryan and the quarterback position. Ryan is still under contract through the 2023 season and carries a cap hit of $35.2 million. He has $18 million guaranteed so the Colts would have to eat that money in dead cap if they released him this offseason.

It should be an interesting offseason for the Colts to maneuver, especially considering they’ve been near the top of the league in salary-cap space over the last half-decade.

We’ll see what happens, but this is where the Colts sit when it comes to salary-cap space entering the offseason.

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Packers restructure contract of DL Dean Lowry, creating $1.1M of cap space

The Packers converted base salary into signing bonus for DL Dean Lowry, creating over $1 million in cap space for 2022.

The Green Bay Packers have restructured the contract of defensive lineman Dean Lowry, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The Packers converted $1.5 million of Lowry’s base salary in 2022 into a signing bonus, creating $1.1 million in additional cap space.

Converting base salary to a signing bonus will increase Lowry’s dead cap number in 2023.

Per Ken Ingalls, a CPA and close follower of Green Bay’s financial status, the move may mean the team is working on an extension for a player so they can fit another signing bonus onto this year’s salary cap. Currently, there have been no other reports that the Packers are working on an extension.

Lowry, 28, is in the final year of the three-year contract he signed in 2019. This season, he has appeared in all 12 games, including 11 starts, logging a total of 40 tackles and 0.5 sacks. Last year was a career year for Lowry when he recorded 5.0 sacks.

His contract will void and he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.

Broncos have 3rd-most salary cap space in the NFL

The Broncos have about $11.56 million in remaining salary cap space, third-highest in the NFL.

Even after giving quarterback Russell Wilson a large contract extension, the Denver Broncos still have a healthy salary cap status.

Going into the 2022 NFL season, Denver has $11,560,045 in remaining salary cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. That’s the third-highest total in the NFL, only trailing the Las Vegas Raiders ($16 million) and Cleveland Browns ($37.9 million).

Wilson’s new super contract is actually somewhat of a bargain for the Broncos, and it gives him very team-friendly cap hits through the 2024 season. By the time Wilson’s cap hits begin to surpass $50 million in 2025, other QBs will have been given even larger deals and the NFL’s salary cap will have increased significantly.

The early team-friendly nature of Wilson’s contract has left the team with about $11.56 million in remaining cap space this season. Any unused cap from the 2022 season will roll over and be added to the team’s 2023 total.

Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers have the 14th-most cap space ($6.3 million) and the Kansas City Chiefs have the second-least ($1.6 million). The Atlanta Falcons ($1.5 million) have the least in the NFL.

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Saints take a step back in post-free agency NFL power rankings

The Saints took a step back in the latest NFL power rankings amid free agency. They’ve got to stop treading water, and start making a splash:

It’s tough to spin the New Orleans Saints offseason into a positive right now. They’ve lost a cornerstone of the defense they promoted Dennis Allen to maintain, replacing Marcus Williams with an older, injury-prone player facing a suspension to start the year. Their divisive stunt to try and trade for Deshaun Watson failed and led them to overpay Jameis Winston mid-ACL recovery on a two-year deal to try and make amends. Now, with the field of free agents thinned out considerably, the Saints have a lot of money at their disposal and few options to spend it on.

But it’s not all bad. They can always save those resources for another day. And there are enough good players still out there to make a difference for New Orleans. If they can circle the wagons and put their energy towards a coherent plan for 2022, they’ll be right back in the mix for a playoff seed. Here’s a good look at the state of the league from NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus, who has the Saints falling back a few spots after the first big wave of free agency left them short-handed. After previously ranking New Orleans at No. 18, he’s since bumped them down to No. 22:

“The Saints struck out in their pitch for Deshaun Watson and, as a result, are now faced with familiar questions at quarterback. On Monday, they re-signed Jameis Winston to a modest contract that seems to line up the former No. 1 overall pick as the Week 1 starter for the second consecutive season. Meanwhile, the failed run at Watson wasn’t a complete loss: The Saints opened up more than $30 million in cap space during the process. Some of that presumably went toward Winston, but New Orleans can still be a player in the second wave of free agency — a.k.a., the place where smart teams can clean up on team-friendly deals.”

Hopefully the Saints can move forward and either re-sign left tackle Terron Armstead or take steps to reinforce their offensive line, while adding better weapons for Winston to work with. Even a past-their-prime talent like A.J. Green, Julio Jones, or Jarvis Landry would add a lot to their ailing offense. They’ve got time and resources to work with over the next month, leading up to the 2022 NFL draft, which should give them ample opportunities to raise their standing across the league’s landscape. Hopefully the Saints can stop treading water and start making a splash.

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