What is dead money in the nfl?

Dead money in the NFL refers to salary cap charges for a player who is no longer on the team's roster. This can occur when a player is released or traded before their contract expires, resulting in a portion of their signing bonus or guaranteed money counting against the team's salary cap for the current or future seasons.

Teams are required to account for the remaining guaranteed money on a player's contract as dead money, even if the player is no longer on the roster. Dead money can impact a team's salary cap flexibility and ability to sign new players or re-sign current players.

Teams can attempt to mitigate dead money by designating a player as a post-June 1 cut, which allows them to spread the dead money charge over two seasons instead of one. Additionally, teams can restructure contracts to convert salary into signing bonus, which can help reduce the immediate salary cap hit for releasing or trading a player.

Overall, dead money serves as a reminder of the financial implications of player contracts in the NFL and the importance of managing the salary cap effectively.