The Denver Broncos will have $69,619,789 worth of “dead money” counting against their salary cap this season, according to an estimate from Spotrac.com.
Dead money happens when players who are no longer on the team still carry a cap charge. Common examples are players with guaranteed salaries or prorated signing bonuses being released before their contract expires.
The most significant example for the Broncos this year is quarterback Russell Wilson. After Denver released the quarterback, the team took on a $53 million dead money cap hit, the largest in NFL history.
Wilson is not alone on the list, however. Former pass rusher Randy Gregory ($7,124,445), safety Justin Simmons ($3,750,000), edge defender Frank Clark ($3,180,000), kicker Brandon McManus ($1,231,250) and tight end Chris Manhertz ($1,125,000) all have dead money cap hits north of $1 million, according to Spotrac.com.
Denver will start to climb out of this salary cap hole in 2025 when the team is projected to have around $100 million worth of cap space. Until then, the Broncos will have to navigate a cap mess. Here’s a quick list of the 10 players with the biggest dead money cap hits in 2024.
1
QB Russell Wilson: $53,000,000
2
OLB Randy Gregory: $7,124,445
3
DB Justin Simmons: $3,750,000
4
OLB Frank Clark: $3,180,000
5
K Brandon McManus: $1,231,250
6
TE Chris Manhertz: $1,125,000
7
WR Montrell Washington: $157,092
8
OLB Christopher Allen: $10,000
9
LB Seth Benson: $10,000
10
OL Henry Byrd: $10,000
