Tag: salary cap

Broncos and Jets will split QB Zach Wilson’s salary in 2024

The Broncos and Jets are splitting Zach Wilson’s contract in 2024, each paying the quarterback about $2.72 million this season.

The Zach Wilson trade truly is a low-risk move for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos only gave up a sixth-round draft pick (and they got a seventh-round pick back), and Wilson won’t cost much in 2024.

Wilson is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Denver and New York have agreed to split his salary this year, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter’s math does not seem to completely check out. It’s possible he just rounded up to $5.5 million and split that in half to get $2.75 million.

If OverTheCap.com’s figures are accurate, the actual number is $5,453,274. Split in half, that would be $2,726,637 paid by each of the Broncos and Jets in 2024 (for what it’s worth, that’s the number listed on Spotrac.com).

The Broncos, of course, know what it’s like to pay a QB to play for a different team. They are still paying Russell Wilson $37.79 million this season while he earns just $1.21 million from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bringing in (Zach) Wilson was a low-cost move for Denver to acquire a 24-year-old quarterback with some upside. Even if he’s nothing more than a backup for the Broncos, the trade makes sense.

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Broncos WR Courtland Sutton skipping offseason workouts in contract dispute

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton is skipping the team’s (voluntary) offseason workouts as he seeks a new contract.

The Denver Broncos kicked off their (voluntary) offseason workout program on Monday and there was a notable absence.

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton did not report to the team’s facility “as he seeks a new contract,” according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Because these workouts are voluntary, Sutton will not face any fines.

It’s a big statement for the receiver to make, though, because the team had great attendance under new head coach Sean Payton in 2023. The most notable player to skip workouts last spring was kicker Brandon McManus, and he was cut.

Denver probably won’t cut Sutton, but there have been rumblings about the possibility of a trade. Sutton has also written cryptic messages on social media, prompting speculation that he’s unhappy about his status with the club.

The Broncos already traded Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns earlier this year, so they’ll be thin at WR if they also send Sutton packing.

Sutton is set to have a base salary of $13 million this year, but only $2 million is guaranteed. His salary will increase to $13.5 million next year with no guaranteed money. The receiver is presumably seeking more security as he enters his age-29 season.

Sutton hauled in 59 receptions for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023.

Denver’s top wide receivers are Sutton, Mavin Mims, Tim Patrick, Josh Reynolds, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson.

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Rams salary cap update: How much space does LA have ahead of the draft?

With all of their free-agent signings now accounted for, here’s how much cap space the Rams have left heading into the draft

Last offseason was all about departures for the Los Angeles Rams, but it’s been a completely different story this year. They’ve not only retained many of their own free agents, but they’ve gone out and made some significant additions to the team.

Some of their biggest signings were Jonah Jackson, Colby Parkinson, Kamren Curl and Tre’Davious White, along with the extension given to standout guard Kevin Dotson.

There’s still plenty of work for the Rams to do and they’ll have 11 picks to work with in the draft this year, but they’ve done an excellent job filling out the roster after a surprisingly good season in 2023.

Not only do the Rams have nearly a dozen draft picks, but they still have enough cap space to sign a few more veterans if they’d like to. With White’s contract now on the books, Over The Cap provided an update on the Rams’ current cap space.

According to OTC, the Rams have $11.55 million in cap space available. That ranks 18th in the NFL. When you factor in the incoming draft class, which is expected to take up about $3.82 million in cap room, the Rams have $7.72 million in effective cap space. That’s also 18th in the league.

That’s not a significant amount, but with the way the Rams have structured contracts this offseason, they would be able to add at least one more veteran in free agency. The only two players they signed this offseason with 2024 cap hits larger than $4.67 million are Jonah Jackson ($13.67 million) and Dotson ($12.67 million).

The Rams could also free up $19.9 million by restructuring Matthew Stafford’s contract, though that seems highly unlikely to happen at this point.

Tre’Davious White’s contract with Rams appears to be much cheaper than anticipated

Tre’Davious White’s contract was reported as being worth $8.5 million, but the finer details show he has a cap hit of just $3.5 million

Tre’Davious White was one of the Los Angeles Rams’ big signings this offseason, inking the former Buffalo Bills cornerback to a one-year deal. When the news was first reported, White’s contract was said to have a base value of $8.5 million and a max value of $10 million with incentives.

White finally signed his contract this week and since then, details of the one-year deal have emerged. According to Over The Cap, White’s contract actually has a base value of $4.25 million and only $3.25 million guaranteed at signing.

His base salary is only $1.5 million and he got a signing bonus worth $1.75 million, which amounts to $3.25 million fully guaranteed. His cap hit in 2024 will be just $3.485 million, a very manageable number for the Rams.

Additionally, Over The Cap writes that White has “up to $1 million in per game bonuses,” which can increase the overall value of the contract.

While some viewed the contract as being a bit risky when it was first reported, signing a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback for only $3.25 million guaranteed seems like a worthwhile move for a team seeking help in the secondary. He’s injury-prone but so was Ahkello Witherspoon and he was healthy all season in 2023.

The cost is reasonable and the upside is great if White can stay on the field, making this a much better signing than it seemed at first glance.

Colts carrying $8.3 million in dead cap on 2024 books

The Colts are carrying $8.3 million in dead cap on their 2024 salary cap. Here is what that means for the upcoming season.

At the moment, the Indianapolis Colts are carrying $8.3 million in dead cap that counts towards their 2024 salary cap.

That $8.3 million figure is from two plays: Shaq Leonard at $8 million and Darius Rush at $268,245, according to Over the Cap (OTC).

In short, dead cap is money that has already been paid out to the player but is yet to have counted against the salary cap.

In Leonard’s case, he received guaranteed dollars when signing his extension in 2021. But from a salary cap perspective, rather than the Colts absorbing the cap hit of those guaranteed dollars right away, they pro-rated the cap hit over the life of the contract in the form of a signing bonus.

This is common practice around the NFL as it provides cap help in the moment, but for the Colts, who moved on from Leonard before his contract was up, they are now feeling the cap ramifications of pushing those initial charges into future years.

Leonard’s $8 million dead cap hit will be the seventh largest cap hit on the team in 2024.

With that said, overall, the Colts are still in relatively good salary cap shape. The $8.3 million in dead cap they are carrying is actually the fifth-lowest amount in the NFL, and likely had little or even no bearing on how GM Chris Ballard went about the offseason.

As of now, OTC has the Colts with $16.92 million in available cap space. However, that figure does not yet take into account Julian Blackmon’s new contract.

On top of that, the Colts are going to need cap space to sign the incoming draft class, which OTC projects will take up about $4.1 million in cap space. They’ll also need available space to construct the practice squad and they’ll need reserves for in-season spending, whether that be for additions or game-day elevations from the practice squad.

So, while $16.92 million may be what the Colts have available on paper, that is not what they actually have available to spend.

Odds are that Blackmon was the last significant free agent addition that Ballard will make. At this stage of the offseason Ballard may wait and see how the draft unfolds, and then if he feels there is still a need to fill, he will explore free agency afterward in search of a low-cost addition to help round out the roster.

Atlanta Falcons salary cap hits for each player in 2024

Looking at individual salary cap hits for every #Falcons player under contract in 2024

The Atlanta Falcons finally addressed the quarterback position, signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract on the opening day of free agency.

Cousins is now the highest-paid player on the team while last year’s starter, Desmond Ridder, has been traded to the Cardinals. Backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke took a pay cut, lowering his 2024 salary cap hit to $4.5 million.

According to Over The Cap‘s projections, Atlanta still has over $6 million in cap space remaining. Here’s a look at the individual salary cap hits for each player in 2024.

Here’s why ex-Broncos QB Russell Wilson was paid an extra $40,018 for 2023 season

The NFL’s performance-based pay program gave QB Russell Wilson an extra $40,018 for playing 938 snaps in 2023.

Denver Broncos fans might feel that quarterback Russell Wilson was overpaid for his two-year stint with the team, but the NFL begs to differ.

Each offseason, the NFL hands out performance-based pay bonuses that essentially reward players for outperforming their contracts. The highest earners in the program are often every-down starters who are still on a rookie contract.

A brief explanation from the league: “Under the Performance-Based Pay program, a fund is created and used as a supplemental form of player compensation based upon a comparison of playing time to salary. Players become eligible to receive a bonus distribution in any regular season in which they play at least one official down. In general, players with higher playtime percentages and lower salaries benefit most from the pool.”

Denver guard Quinn Meinerz ($747,505) and pass rusher Jonathon Cooper ($738,916) received the largest bonuses among Broncos players in 2023, but they were not alone. A total of 64 players received playing time bonuses, including Wilson.

Wilson received a $40,018 check — this time from the NFL, not Denver’s front office — as part of the performance-based pay program. Wilson started 15 games in 2023 and played 938 snaps.

Jarrett Stidham, who only started two games and played 134 snaps in 2023, received a $41,814 bonus, a reflection of players on lower salaries getting a bigger reward for their playing time.

Five years ago, former Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly received a $354 bonus in 2019 after he appeared in one game for a kneel-down.

Wilson received $28 million from Denver last year and he will earn another $37.79 million from the Broncos in 2024 despite no longer being on the team. Playing nearly 1,000 snaps last year earned him an extra $40,000 on his way out of town.

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Colts rank 13th in effective salary cap spacing following free agency

The Colts rank 13th in effective salary cap space. Here is a look at what that means for them heading into the rest of the offseason.

Following the initial free agency waves, the Indianapolis Colts rank 13th in effective salary cap space, according to Over the Cap (OTC).

Currently, OTC has the Colts with $16.91 million in available cap space. That figure ranks as the 14th most across the NFL but also isn’t quite reflective of what the Colts actually have available to spend.

Effective cap space is what OTC projects that the Colts actually are able to spend if GM Chris Ballard plans to continue adding to his roster. OTC has that amount at $12.71 million for the Colts.

The difference between cap space and effective cap space is that effective cap space factors in what it will cost for the Colts to sign their incoming draft class along with constructing their initial 53-man roster. The cap space figure, however, is what the Colts have available to them on paper at this moment.

With that said, there are also other cap costs coming down the pipeline that aren’t included in that effective cap space figure either. These include having in-season salary cap reserves available, whether that ends up going towards an addition to the roster or game-day elevations from the practice squad to the active roster. The Colts will also need cap space to assemble their practice squad as well, among other expenses.

So no, the Colts don’t actually have $16.91 million that they are still able to spend, or even $12.71 million, for that matter. However, overall, they are sitting in relatively good shape from a salary cap perspective. There are still teams out there who will have to extend players, restructure contracts, or even make cuts to create needed cap space. The Colts aren’t in that position.

It’s possible that, for the time being, the Colts could hit pause on making any free-agent additions. Ballard may first see how the draft plays out and then decide whether to make an addition or two afterward to round out a position group with a veteran presence if he didn’t tackle the need the way he wanted to during the draft.

With that said, the biggest positional needs that the Colts still have to address lie in the secondary at cornerback and safety, and there are impact players available at each. If Ballard does at some point want to utilize free agency to add to those rooms, below are the best available options according to PFF, along with their overall ranking:

1. Justin Simmons
2. Stephon Gilmore
3. Steven Nelson
6. Xavien Howard
9. Julian Blackmon
14. Adoree’ Jackson
28. Tashaun Gipson
31. Micah Hyde
34. Ahkello Witherspoon
36. Jayron Kearse
37. Kristian Fulton

At this stage of the game, none of these contracts are likely to break the bank, and with the wiggle room that the Colts do have salary cap-wise, having the space to add any one of these players shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Josh Reynolds’ contract with Broncos is lower than originally expected

Josh Reynolds’ two-year deal with the Broncos is worth “up to” $14 million, but it’s a $9 million deal before any potential incentives.

When the Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Josh Reynolds to a two-year contract last week, the deal was originally said to be worth “up to” $14 million. That’s a classic agent line that gives the potential maximum value if every incentive is reached, but it doesn’t mention the base salary.

Reynolds’ contract details are now known and his deal is worth much less than $7 million per season.

Reynolds received a $2 million signing bonus that will be prorated as $1 million cap hits over the next two years. This season, he will have a base salary of $2,245,000 and a per-game roster bonus of $255,000. That will give Reynolds a total salary cap hit of $3.5 million in 2024.

Next year, Reynolds’ base salary will increase to $3.99 million and his per-game roster bonus will jump to $510,000. That will give the receiver a salary cap hit of $5.5 million in 2025.

It’s a essentially a two-year, $9 million contract for the veteran receiver. Reynolds will have $2,245,000 in guaranteed salary this year but no guaranteed pay in 2025. So the Broncos would save $4.5 million if they cut him next year.

Reynolds, 29, is entering his eighth season in the NFL. Denver has about $17.84 million in remaining salary cap space.

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Contract details for Broncos’ 3 recent free agent signings

New Broncos signees Matt Peart, Cody Barton and Justin Strnad will combine to count $4.9 million against the salary cap in 2024.

Before agreeing to a two-year deal with wide receiver Josh Reynolds this week, the Denver Broncos previously inked one-year contracts with offensive tackle Matt Peart and linebackers Cody Barton and Justin Strnad.

Terms of those three contracts are now known.

Barton received a $1.33 million base salary, a $1 million signing bonus and a $170,000 per-game roster bonus. That will give him a total salary cap hit of $2.46 million. His $1.33 million salary is guaranteed.

Strnad received a $1,055,000 base salary and a $250,000 signing bonus, giving him a total salary cap hit of $1,305,000. He has $500,000 guaranteed.

Peart received a $1,125,000 base salary and a $167,500 signing bonus, giving him a total salary cap hit of $1,152,500. He has $200,000 guaranteed.

Combined, those three players will account for $4,917,500 worth of salary cap space if they make the roster this summer. Before accounting for the Reynolds contract, OverTheCap.com estimates the Broncos have about $20.4 million in remaining cap space.

Reynolds’ two-year contract is said to be worth “up to” $14 million, but his base salary will be lower than $7 million per season. We will share Reynold’s contract details on Broncos Wire when they become available.

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