NFL Trade Rumors
June 1 is an important date on the NFL calendar. To explain why requires a bit of a detour into the weeds of how the NFL salary cap works, but the short summary is that the rules on moving a player become a lot less restrictive after this date.
(The longer explanation is that before June 1, any time a player is cut or traded the remaining dead money on the contract all has to be accounted for that year. After June 1, only the dead money in the current year is counted, with the remaining amount deferred to the following season. Teams can designate two players a year as “June 1 cuts” to release them before that date with the same benefits, and you’ll often see teams hold off on processing retirements until June to spread out the cap hit.)
Still here? The point of this article is that while it’s easier for teams to cut players after June 1, it’s also far, far easier to trade them. The June 1 rule is what even makes it possible to have a midseason trade deadline, as otherwise the cost for teams to move on from players would often be too punitive given teams have to remain compliant with the cap at all times.
June is typically a quiet month on the calendar with no injuries or games to drive urgency for trades. However, from time to time we see some action. The best example is a few years ago when the Falcons were ready to move on from WR Julio Jones and auctioned him off at the first available opportunity, which was June, to start the process of cleaning up their cap.
This year, Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey seems poised to provide the star power as a big name likely to be on the move now that June 1 has passed. He and the team are both talking about each other in the past tense, and the cap implications are likely one of the biggest reasons he hasn’t already been dealt. He’s not the only player who will be traded, as the Eagles and 49ers agreed to terms on a deal for DE Bryce Huff that will be processed today.
Here’s a look at seven trade candidates, including both Ramsey and Huff, and the implications for a deal now that June 1 is in the books:
If the Dolphins had traded Ramsey before June 1, they would have been responsible for $25.2 million in dead money. That’s $8.5 million higher than his current cap hit for this season, meaning it would have cost the Dolphins $8.5 million of their current $13.5 million in cap space to trade Ramsey.
By postponing any deal until now, the Dolphins lower the dead money to just $6.745 million. That’s especially important because it’s possible Miami will be forced to eat some of Ramsey’s remaining $21 million in guaranteed compensation in order to facilitate a trade. Obviously the hope is...
