Top 5 largest dead salary cap hits in NFL history
After releasing Russell Wilson, the Broncos would take a $85 million dead cap hit.
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(L) Russell Wilson and (R) Aaron Rodgers (Image via IMAGO)
NFL is one of the most competitive sporting leagues in the world. Part of the reason for that is due to the salary cap, which puts a cap on how much a team can spend on their players’ salaries. The NFL salary cap is one of the most complex parts of the game, and the general managers keep finding ways to cheat the system legally.
One of the confusing things about salary caps is dead cap hits, which is nothing but a salary allocated to a player who is no longer on the team’s roster. A dead cap hit simply refers to the specific cap charge tied to a player who is either released, traded, or retired from the sport.
Dead cap money is whatever remaining amount left on a cut player’s contract guarantees. For instance, the Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson signed a 5-year deal worth approximately $242 million with the Broncos, including $161,000,000 in total guarantees. During the contract signing, he received a $50 million signing bonus, of which he has already received $20 million.
Furthermore, he has also already received a $5 million roster bonus, $10 million in salary ($2 million in 2022, $8 million in 2023), and a $4 million option in 2022. In total, he has earned $39 million with the Broncos during his first two years. Now, Wilson’s deal still includes $38 million in roster bonuses, and he is yet to receive $30 million remaining in his signing bonus.
That means the Broncos still have to pay Wilson $68 million. Finally, when his 2024 base salary of $17 million is added to that, it brings the total to $85 million. So, the Broncos will take a dead cap hit of $85 million after releasing Wilson. However, the Broncos can split the massive cap hit with next year if they release Wilson after June 1. If they release Wilson before June 1, they have to take the entire dead salary cap hit this year itself.
In short, a dead cap hit simply means a salary allocated to a player who is no longer with the team. The team will pay the players who are not on their team due to the leftovers of their guarantees. Now, let’s take a look at the Top 5 largest dead cap hits in the NFL’s history.
5. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles)
When the Philadelphia Eagles traded their former 1st-round draft pick Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts back in 2021, they carried a cap hit of $33.8 million that year. That accounted for nearly 20 percent of their salary cap in 2021 and is the 5th largest dead salary cap hit in the league’s history.
4. Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
This is one of the rare instances when the dead cap hit was actually worth it. The legendary quarterback Tom Brady added void years to his contract so that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can surround him with talented players.
They won the Super Bowl ring under Brady but had to pay the price after he retired from the sport. When Brady retired in 2023, the Bucs carried a dead cap hit of $35.104 million, 4th largest in the league’s history.
3. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)
When the Green Bay Packers traded away their star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023, they took a dead salary cap hit of $40.31 million, nearly 18% of the Packers’ 2023 salary cap. This is the 3rd largest dead cap hit in the NFL.
2. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons)
After a 14-year-long tenure, quarterback Matt Ryan was traded away by the Atlanta Falcons back in 2022. When they traded the star QB to the Colts, they ate a dead cap hit of $40.53 million, the second-largest dead salary cap hit in the NFL’s history.
1. Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos)
Following a poor couple of seasons, the Denver Broncos have decided to part ways with Russell Wilson, despite signing him to a massive 5-year contract in 2022. Now, after his release, the Broncos will take a whopping $85 million in dead cap hit, the largest figure in the history of the league.
So, there you have it. These are the Top 5 largest dead salary cap hits in the league’s history!
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Aravind Raj
(2075 Articles Published)