Bengals boast a league-wide advantage, for now
So much has changed for the Cincinnati Bengals in recent years. New superstars, new levels of notoriety, and new endorsements have transformed the franchise into something it's never quite been. But some principles remain the same, and in the case of managing the salary cap, this is a positive. As the Bengals head into the […]
So much has changed for the Cincinnati Bengals in recent years. New superstars, new levels of notoriety, and new endorsements have transformed the franchise into something it's never quite been.
But some principles remain the same, and in the case of managing the salary cap, this is a positive.
As the Bengals head into the Summer break with 89 players on their roster, the idea of cutting down to 53 by the beginning of September seems like a tall task. It may also come with some slight ramifications, but nothing that would create problems.
As of now, the Bengals happen to be responsible for the least amount of dead cap for the 2023 league year. Standing strong with $619,000 on the books, they're also the only club with less than a $1,000,000. The Chargers are the closest to them with $2.2 million.
For a team that's looking to extend two franchise cornerstones in Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins, having as much space as possible is quite the advantage. They're currently just under $15 million in cap space.
The Bengals may spend more money now in building their team every year, but they continue to maintain salary cap health by not terminating contracts before it makes financial sense. The contracts they offer also continue to be structured to create future avenues to move on without being penalized with an abundance of dead cap.
It also doesn't hurt that the Bengals have only added this year, not subtracted, in terms of contracts.
In an offseason that's featured multi-year deals for Germaine Pratt and Orlando Brown Jr., the Bengals haven't released anyone who entered the league year under contract for the 2023 season. The journey to 89 players has only gone forwards.
That will eventually change once cut downs begin, and a few contracts could bump that $619K figure to the millions. Joe Mixon may or may not be faced with a pay cut situation that would nullify his current deal. Cutting him and re-signing him to a modified deal would in turn add millions of dead cap, though the net cap savings would likely be positive.
La'el Collins is also an interesting case. Should he lose the right tackle battle and find himself on the outside looking in from a roster perspective, the Bengals' dead cap amount would rise to about $4 million.
It's nearly impossible to go an entire offseason without taking on more than a million in dead cap. The Bengals won't be the exception, but their financial prowess is once again showing itself.
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Featured image via © The Cincinnati Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK
