Zack Moss reworked contract details reveals notable pay cut, altered salary cap hit for 2025
The Cincinnati Bengals reworked the contract of running back Zack Moss prior to the 2025 NFL Draft. Moss suffered a season-ending neck injury in 2024 and was thought to be a potential salary cap casualty this offseason. Cincinnati opted to alter the 27-year old's contract instead after a neck scan from March indicated he would […]
The Cincinnati Bengals reworked the contract of running back Zack Moss prior to the 2025 NFL Draft. Moss suffered a season-ending neck injury in 2024 and was thought to be a potential salary cap casualty this offseason. Cincinnati opted to alter the 27-year old's contract instead after a neck scan from March indicated he would eventually pass a physical and be able to play this upcoming season.
Moss originally signed a two-year, $8 million free agent deal last offseason and earned $4.3 million of that contract. We now know the details of Moss' new agreement with the Bengals.
Zack Moss new contract details
According to OverTheCap.com, Moss' new deal is for one year and worth a total of $1.7 million. That is the amount of new cash Moss can earn if he makes the team and plays in all 17 games this season.
Moss' new base salary is $1.17 million, which is a significant decrease from his original salary of $3.075 million. On top of his new salary, he gets $375,000 in guarantees. This amount has been added on to the $1.5 million of his original $3 million signing bonus that was prorated into this year. The per game roster bonuses he could potentially earn also dropped from $300,000 to $155,000.
When looking at the salary cap, there are other numbers to consider.
Moss' new cap hit is $3,117,941. This is calculated by adding his $1.17 million base salary, $1.875 million in signing bonus proration plus his new guarantees, and $72,941 of his $155,000 in per game roster bonuses. Moss only played in eight of Cincinnati's 17 games last season, so roughly 47% of that bonus amount is counted on the cap.
If the Bengals were to still cut Moss sometime this offseason, they would save $1,242,941 in salary cap space, but would eat $1.875 million in dead cap by doing so. Here's a look at the original cash and cap figures compared to the reworked figures:
| ZACK MOSS CONTRACT DETAILS | Cash Figure | Cap Figure | Dead Cap | Cap Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Original | $3,475,000 | $4,816,176 | $1,500,000 | $3,316,176 |
New | $1,700,000 | $3,117,941 | $1,875,000 | $1,242,941 |
In short, the Bengals had Moss take a pay cut while also giving him some guaranteed money upfront for this season and in doing so, made it slightly more costly to cut him. Cutting him before these changes compared to now is a difference of just over $2 million in cap space.
This doesn't confirm Moss will make the 53-man roster, but it does increase those odds ever so slightly. His new base salary also reflects his new role as an ancillary tailback behind Chase Brown on the depth chart compared to his starter status in the beginning of last season.
Moss ran for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 74 attempts last year. Browns started getting the majority of carries in Week 5 and after Moss' neck injury during Week 8, Brown never looked back.
Joining Moss behind Brown this year will be free agent signing Samaje Perine and sixth-round pick Tahj Brooks. Perine is set to make slightly more cash than Moss this year at $1.8 million, and Brooks will earn a rookie salary of $840,000.
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