Pro Football Rumors
The Dolphins set an unfortunate record this offseason following the release of Tua Tagovailoa. The move left the franchise with a $55.4MM dead cap hit, which exceeded the previous record held by the Broncos and Russell Wilson ($53MM).
Of course, as Miami is undergoing a complete teardown, they’re not overly concerned about the wasted cap space in 2026. For competitive squads, a hefty dead cap charge could drastically limit their ability to add to their roster following final roster cuts and into the regular season. A team’s current dead cap commitment could also influence their 53-man roster decisions, as teams always pursue some extra breathing room.
Which teams have the most dead cap on their books? We’ve listed them in order below (h/t to Sportrac):
As mentioned, it’s not a surprise to see the Dolphins atop this list. While Tagovailoa’s release easily leads the team, the Dolphins also took significant hits following the 2025 and 2026 departures of Tyreek Hill ($28.25MM), Jaylen Waddle ($23.23MM), Jalen Ramsey ($20.87MM), and Minkah Fitzpatrick ($12.99MM). The team’s dead cap charges account for close to 60% of their cap.
Elsewhere atop the list, the Browns were impacted by Joel Bitonio‘s retirement and void years ($23.5MM) plus the Myles Garrett trade ($21.3MM). The Saints are still navigating Derek Carr‘s $36.6MM in dead cap, while the Jets have $55MM in dead cap committed to former QBs (Aaron Rodgers ($35MM) and Justin Fields ($20MM)).
The Broncos, who are finally seeing relief from Wilson’s former cap charge, have the second-smallest dead cap hit in the NFL, mostly taken up by Dre Greenlaw ($2.1MM). The defending Super Bowl champs are at the bottom of the list, as the Seahawks only have to account for $516K from Sataoa Laumea and Damien Martinez.
