Each year the NFL allows teams to make up to two Post June 1st cuts. This allows the team to notify a player that they will be moving on from them at the start of the new league year which is the 11th of March 2026. These players can then go and sign for another team rather than having to wait until June 2nd.
The team must carry that player on their books at their current salary cap number until the 2nd of June, at which point the salary cap is calculated as if the player has been cut after this. All guarantees and the prorated money from the current year are then accounted in that season, so for these scenario, the 2026 season. Then any future prorated money is all account for in 2027. You can't spread this into future years beyond the additional one, it is just split over the two.
If we use Denzel Ward's contract as an example, I would be shocked if he was cut but it is a nice contract to clearly show the impact of a post June 1st cut.
From the 11th March to 1st June the salary cap number would be $32,964,000. Then on the 2nd of June 2026 it would be $12,964,000, this is the 2026 accounting from Ward's 2022 signing bonus, 2023 option bonus, 2024 & 2025 restructures. Then since he has already been paid these figures he would count as $16,692,200 of dead cap on the 2027 salary cap.
There is no Post June 1st trade designation, when you trade a player it takes immediate effect on the salary cap unless the trade is carried out on June 2nd or later. It would be much more fun if the NFL added these as we would see more big trades made possible around the league.