WHEW. The NFL QB carousel just took another spin, and this time, the Indianapolis Colts will have Matt Ryan starting under center this fall after the Atlanta Falcons dealt the longtime quarterback for just a third-round pick.
That means the team won’t have to pay a $7.5 million roster bonus to Ryan now that he’s … no longer on the roster.
But it does mean the Falcons will have his dead money on their salary cap this season. And it’s a record amount: A whopping $40.5 million, which is A LOT more than the Eagles took on when they dealt Carson Wentz. YOW:
Matt Ryan’s trade will incur a dead cap hit of $40.525M for the Falcons, the largest dead cap hit in NFL history by nearly $7M.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 21, 2022
If this happens the Falcons will take on the largest dead money Cap charge in NFL history, zooming past the Eagles/Carson Wentz number of $34 million.
Will be over $40 million. https://t.co/ougkzPDijn— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 21, 2022
The Colts are still single-handedly causing more dead Cap than any team in history (and none of it is theirs). https://t.co/VlV0fspbSd
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 21, 2022
$40 million of dead money activated in Atlanta.
20% of their Cap. https://t.co/BuaYDwsty3— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 21, 2022
It shouldn’t matter that much for a team that won’t contend in 2022. But still, that’s a lot of money to pay someone NOT to play for you.
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