The Ravens currently have $22 million in available cap space, but that amount could be significantly higher if not for an $18.5 million dead salary cap hit, which ranks Baltimore among the top 21 team
June 1 was a massive date around the league.
In NFL terminology, it’s the final day that teams see all future prorated money accelerate as “dead money” if a player has been released. Teams like the Ravens and others around the NFL gained salary cap space, as any player designated for a post-June one release earlier this year moved from the active roster to the dead money side of the books.
What, exactly, is a dead money charge?
A dead money charge is a charge on an NFL team’s salary cap for a player no longer on the roster. It represents any remaining signing bonus proration that was not accounted for before the player’s release or trade. It is not a cash payment but rather a cap charge resulting from the rule that allows teams to prorate a signing bonus evenly over as many as five years. If a player is released before the end of those five years, all remaining signing bonus proration accelerates onto the team’s salary cap for the current year.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Dead cap hit: $8.3 million
Baltimore signed Beckham Jr. to a one-year, $15 million contract with incentives and a chance to sign a contract extension. Beckham’s contract was designed to be a June 1 cut to avoid $11.068 million in cap charges, all of which would have hit in 2024. The Ravens took on $2.77 million in 2024 and $8.3 million for 2025.
Ronnie Stanley
Dead cap hit: $8.1 million
Nelson Agholor
Dead cap hit: $3.2 million
Arthur Maulet
Dead cap hit: $250K
Damarion Williams
Dead cap hit: $126K
Devin Leary
Dead cap hit: $103K