The Present and Future of the Redskins Salary Cap, 2019 Edition
May 23, 2019
by Steve Thomas
I like to take a look each offseason at the Redskins’ salary cap projection for the coming seasons and beyond, and for a variety of reasons, mainly that I haven’t had time to watch a ton of film this week for my next planned film study, this is the week. The idea here is that, now that the roster is more or less set, with only a few moves around the periphery left until the end of training camp, we now have a pretty good idea of the kind of shape the Redskins will be in for the 2019 season. We’re going to dig into this season and beyond, by position group.
Offense
Quarterbacks
The Redskins currently have a touch under $30.4M dedicated to the quarterback position group, which is about 15.7% of the salary cap. The elephant in this room is obviously the Alex Smith contract. He has a $20.4M cap hit this year with a $52.6M dead cap figure in the event his is cut with a pre-June 1 designation, which would mean the Redskins would lose $32.2M. If he was cut this year with a post-1 June 1 designation, the team would lose $16M in 2019, with another $16M in 2020. He could theoretically be traded as a post-June 1 event this year at a saving, but that’s obviously not going to happen. In other words, Smith will be a Redskin this season. The fact that it seems likely that he’ll be on injured reserve is irrelevant to the salary cap.
Dwayne Haskins has a $2.6M hit this year. Case Keenum and Colt McCoy combine for a $6.875M cap hit between them this year, with Keenum at $3.5M and Colt at $3.375M. They are both on one year contracts. Keenum’s cut would be a zero-sum event, whereas McCoy would save $1.375M. This means that if one of these players gets cut after training camp, it’s most likely going to be McCoy. AAF straggler Josh Woodrum is on a min-salary deal.
The most likely scenario is that Woodrum is cut, with Smith to IR, and Haskins, Keenum, and McCoy remaining on the active roster, at a total hit of $29.6M for this season.
As far as the future goes, the only way Smith can be cut in 2020 is as a post-June 1 designation, which means that his dead cap money will be spread over 2020 and 2021 in increments of roughly $21M and $15M, respectively. If both Keenum and McCoy are not invited back after this season, that would leave Haskins as the sole remaining quarterback on the roster. Haskins’ cap hits will be $3.276M in 2020, $3.9M in 2021, and $4.587M in 2022. The Redskins hold their fifth year option on Haskins in 2023.
Running Backs
At this moment, the Redskins have a total of $9.9M obligated against the running back group towards the salary cap, with $8.9M obligated under the Rule of 51[i]. Chris Thompson is the most expensive at $3.9M, followed by Adrian Peterson at $1.78M, then Derrius Guice at $1.032M, Samaje Perine at $809K, Byron Marshall at $720K, Bryce Love at $675K, plus fullback Elijah Wellman and undrafted free agent Craig Reynolds at minimum salary. If the Redskins keep 4 on the active roster during the season, this most likely leaves Guice, Peterson, and Thompson as locks at a total cap hit of $6.7M. Love will either be on the active roster, injured reserve, or the PUP list; regardless, his salary will count against the cap no matter what, so that brings the grand total up to about $7.38M for 2019. Should Love not be healthy enough to be on the active roster and the team adds another fourth running back, whether that’s Perine or someone else, that will bring the total obligated towards this group to between $7.9M and $8.2M for 2019. That’s around 4.5% of the salary cap, which is very low.
Going forward, Love is signed through 2022; Guice through 2021; Perine, Peterson, and Wellman through 2020; Marshall and Thompson through 2019. Guice and Love will both assuredly remain on the roster for at least two more years each, even if they don’t pan out like the team hopes, and together they will count for about $2M in 2020. Peterson’s status next year is only a guess next year; if he remains with the team in 2020, he’ll have a cap hit of $3.25M in 2020, which would bring the total to $5.25M. In 2021, only Guice and Love will remain on the roster at relatively minimal cost. Re-signing Chris Thompson presumably happens only if Bryce Love isn’t healthy or doesn’t pan out. If that happens, it will come at significant cost.
Salary-wise, this group is in outstanding shape. Now the players need to do their jobs and meet expectations.
Tight Ends
This group stands in stark contrast to the running backs. Right at this moment, the Redskins have a staggering $18.25M obligated towards the salary cap in 2019 for this position group. The always injured Jordan Reed, who has never played a full season in his entire career, counts for $9.6M this season. 35 year old Vernon Davis counts for $6.3M in 2019. For those paying attention, that’s a total of $15.9M for two players who, when they are at their best, admittedly one of the best tandems in the game, but are also a walking injury and old, respectively. Matt Flanagan, Manasseh Garner, J.P. Holtz, and Jeremy Sprinkle are also on the roster, each on small deals. All told, right now, the Redskins have $18.25M obligated towards the salary cap in 2019, which is approximately 9.4% of the total salary cap. Flanagan, Garner, and Holtz are all subject to the Rule of 51.
Reed and Davis are both cuttable immediately, at a 2019 savings of $6M and almost $5M, respectively.
Looking forward, only Reed and Sprinkle are signed beyond the 2019 season. Reed’s contract runs through 2021, with cap hits of $10.3M and $9M in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Sprinkle is signed to his rookie contract through 2020, with a cap hit of $804K in 2020.
Guard and Centers
The elephant in this room is obviously Brandon Scherff. The 2x Pro Bowler will play the 2019 season on his fifth year option at a cost of $12.5M. The Redskins will most likely move heaven and earth to lock him down on a long term deal, but this contract may have to be the largest contract for a guard in NFL history, bigger than that of Zach Martin with the Cowboys (6 yrs / $84M / $40M gtd / $14M AAV) and Andrew Norwell with Jacksonville (5 yrs / $66.5M / $30M gtd / $13.3M AAV), both in 2018. It will be a major expense going forward.
Beyond Scherff, Giants refugee Ereck Flowers is the next most expensive interior lineman. He’s on a one year contract with a cap hit of $3.2M in 2019. The two 2019 rookies, Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher, will have cap hits of $657K and $572K, respectively. Everyone else, to including Tony Bergstrom, Tyler Catalina, Casey Dunn, undrafted free agent Jerald Foster, Zach Kerin, and starter Chase Roullier, are all on small contracts. All told, the Redskins have a total of just under $20M obligated towards this position group right now, over 10% of the salary cap, with about $18.4M counting under the Rule of 51.
Going forward, Martin and Pierschbacher are signed through 2022 on rookie deals that never rise above $1M cap hits. Chase Roullier’s rookie deal runs through 2020, so the Redskins will most likely try to sign him to an extension at some point prior to him reaching free agency. Dunn is the only other interior lineman signed beyond 2019. Therefore, without Scherff, the Redskins currently have just $3.4M obligated towards this position group in 2020, $2.2M in 2021, and $1.8M in 2022.
Tackles
The tackle group stands in stark contrast to the guard / center group. The Redskins currently have a total of $24M obligated towards tackles right now, with $22.5M counting under the Rule of 51. The largest expense is Trent Williams, who has a $14.7M cap hit in 2019. Morgan Moses has a cap hit of $6.9M this season. The cap hit for 2018 third round pick Geron Christian is just $889K. The rest of the tackles, undrafted free agents Juwann Bushell-Beatty and Chidi Okeke, and 2018 signee, are each on minimum salary deals.
Looking into the future, Williams is signed through 2020, with a cap hit of $14.75M in 2020. His dead cap in 2020 is just $2M in 2020, so he could be cut at a substantial savings if the team were to do something drastic (hint: that’s very unlikely). Moses is signed through 2022, with cap hits of $6.9M, $9.65M, and $1.9M in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. In all cases, Moses’ dead cap is less than his cap hit, so he can be cut at any time at a savings. Christian’s rookie contract runs through 2022 at a small cap hit. Parris’ contract expires after the 2019 season. The two undrafted free agents, Bushell-Beatty and Okeke, are each signed through 2021.
The Redskins have $23.8M obligated towards tackles in 2020, $12.1M in 2021, and $7.75M in 2022, but none of those dollars are structured in such a way that the Redskins couldn’t get rid of them if they so desire.
Defense
Defensive Line
The Redskins currently have a total of $11.73M obligated towards the defensive line for the 2019 season, which is about 6% of the total salary cap. The Redskins jettisoned all of the expensive, big cap hit vets that used to populate this position group in the recent few seasons and are thus in good shape from a cap perspective. There are three big cap hits, Daron Payne at $3.276M, Jon Allen at $3.16M, and Matt Ioannidis at $2.525M. Everyone else on the roster in the group have cap hits of $645K or less: undrafted free agent rookie Jonathan Bonner, third year vet Caleb Brantley, undrafted free agent rookie Austin Maloata, 2018 fifth round pick Tim Settle, and 2018 undrafted free agent JoJo Wicker.
Ioannidis, who just signed a new contract extension, has $11.225M in dead money for 2019 and is thus uncuttable this year in all circumstances. Allen and Payne are both uncuttable this year as a result of their full-guaranteed contracts that typically come with being first round draft picks. Obviously, these three players are the core of the defensive line and most likely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. None of the rest of these players in this group have guaranteed money and are thus cuttable this year.
In terms of the future, Ioannidis is signed through 2022, and Bonner, Maloata, Payne, and Settle are all signed through 2021. Allen and Wicker are signed through 2020. Brantley is the only player whose contract expires at the end of 2019. The Redskins have $16.1M obligated towards the cap in 2020, $13.75M in 2021, and $8.25M in 2022, which is Ioannidis’ cap hit.
This group is in solid shape both from a salary cap and on the field perspective for years to come.
Inside Linebackers
The Redskins currently have $9.65M obligated towards the inside linebacker group, which is just 5% of the total salary cap. Mason Foster and new injured reserve resident Reuben Foster are the only players taking significant cap space, with $4.25M and $1.29M, respectively. 2018 free agent signee Marquis Flowers is next on the list with $805M, followed by Josh Harvey-Clemons at 666K and Shaun Dion-Hamilton at $608K. Fifth round draft pick Cole Holcomb has a $553K cap hit. Every other player in this group, including undrafted free agent rookies Andrew Ankrah, B.J. Blunt, and DeMarquis Gates, are on minimum salary contracts.
Mason Foster will be a free agent after the 2019 season. Reuben Foster has two years left on his original rookie contract signed by the 49ers. All of Reuben’s guaranteed money was wiped out as a result of his release from San Francisco, making him cuttable immediately; however, the first round pick team option remains for the 2021 season. Holcomb is signed to his rookie contract through 2022 but is cuttable immediately. Dion-Hamilton’s rookie contract expires in 2021, as do the contracts of Ankrah, Blunt, and Gates.
From a salary cap perspective, no other position group is in better position than the inside linebackers. No player is uncuttable, and the team has just $5.55M obligated in 2020, $3.5M in 2021, and $823K in 2022.
Outside Linebackers
The outside linebacker group currently fills approximately $19.9M in cap space, which is 9.2% of the cap. When the Rule of 51 is taken into account, the number drops to approximately $18.3M. The highest paid player amongst this position group, by far, is longtime vet Ryan Kerrigan, who carries a $13.95M cap hit and a $3.2M dead cap figure. 2019 first round pick Montez Sweat hasn’t signed his contract yet, but he’s going to have a cap hit in the range of $2.1M in 2019. Ryan Anderson is next on the list at $1.45M. 2018 free agent signee Marcus Smith comes at a price of $805Kv in use cap space. Cassanova McKinzy, picked up last year, has a $570K cap hit. Jordan Brailford, who was one of the Redskins’ two seventh round picks this season, occupies $513K in total cap space. Finally, undrafted free agent rookie Ryan Bee is on a minimum salary deal.
Kerrigan’s contact runs through 2020. He will have an $11.75M cap hit in 2020 without any dead money at all. Sweat’s contract, when signed, will be fully guaranteed and run through 2023, but the team will hold an option on him for the 2023 season. Anderson is signed to his rookie deal through 2020. Brailford’s deal runs through 2022. The contracts of both McKinzy and Sweat expire at the end of 2019.
The Redskins have $14.6M obligated to the outside linebacker group in 2020, but only $1.37M in 2021 and $783K in 2022.
Cornerbacks
There’s no getting around the fact that the Redskins have quite a bit of money tied up in the cornerback group, almost $23.5M in total and $20.2M under the Rule of 51. The most expensive player, Josh Norman, has a cap hit of $14.5M for 2019, with a dead cap figure of $6M, meaning that Norman would be a savings of $8.5M if cut this year. The other starter, Quinton Dunbar, has a $4.1M cap hit. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has a $1.03M cap hit, but no guaranteed money, which means that he can be cut. All of the rest of the players in the cornerback group – Fabian Moreau, Greg Stroman, Danny Johnson, Adonis Alexander, Jeremy Reaves, rookie Jimmy Moreland, and Deion Harris, are on small contracts with cap hits under $1M per year.
Norman and Dunbar are both signed through 2020. Only Reaves and Rodgers-Cromartie have contracts that expire in 2019. All of the rest of this group are on rookie contracts through 2020 or 2021, or in Moreland’s case, 2022.
The Redskins currently have $24.2M tied up in corners in 2020, thanks largely to Norman, who’s cap hit rises to $15.5M that year. After that, though, things get much better – in 2021, the team only has $2.9M obligated, and $789K in 2022.
Safeties
The Redskins have less money obligated towards safeties than any other position on the team, even with the addition of Landon Collins. The safety group as a whole occupies just $7.5M of cap space in 2019, which is only approximately 3.9% of the total salary cap. The figure drops to just over $7M when the Rule of 51 is applied. For his part, Collins’ contract comes with a $4M cap hit this year. Deshazor Everett’s contract has a $1.475M hit. Monte Nicholson and Troy Apke are both still on their rookie contracts and thus have cap hits of less than $1M each. JoJo McIntosh is an undrafted rookie free agent on a minimum salary deal.
Collins is in year 1 of a 6 year contract that gets expensive, fast. Collins’ cap hit jumps to $14.2M in 2020, $17.2M in 2021, $16.2M in 2022, $17.2M in 2023, and $15.2M in 2024. If you guessed that this contract has massive amounts of dead money, you’d be right – his dead money is $37M this season, and doesn’t drop to a level that is below his cap hit until 2021. However, Collins’ 2021 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the 5th day of the 2021 league year, so the only team “out” of this contract essentially runs from the end of the 2020 season in February, 2021, through early March 2021, then expires. Not only that, but Collins has a $6M option bonus for the 2024 season that vests on the 5th day of the start of the 2020 league year. The point is, his contract is onerous. In fact, it’s the most onerous non-Alex Smith contract on the roster, and frankly it may be worse than Smith’s contract in some ways. I loved the signing, so don’t get me wrong, but this dude needs to perform because the Redskins are in a marriage with him that doesn’t come with a divorce option that can be realistically accessed any time soon without a massive alimony bill.
Everett will be a free agent after this coming season. The two draft picks, Apke and Nicholson, are signed to their rookie deals through 2021 and 2020, respectively, and McIntosh is locked up through 2021.
Specialists
Dustin Hopkins, Nick Sundberg, and Tress Way are all signed through 2020, with 2019 cap hits of $3.2M, $1.08M, and $1.9M, respectively. Someone to keep an eye on is long snapper Andrew East, who filled in for Sundberg last year after Sundberg’s injury, but is significantly cheaper at a cap hit of just $570K.
That’s it for the salary cap review for this year. Overall, the Redskins are in decent shape but have a major hurdle in the form of Brandon Scherff right around the corner.
[i] The Rule of 51 is a CBA-mandated offseason rule wherein only the 51-largest contracts count against the salary cap until the final 53-man roster is established prior to the start of the season.