Thanks to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, the organization has found a way to keep their roster ranked among the most talented groups in the sport during the salary cap era.
The way he has done it? Managing the salary cap in a way that the Eagles can add void years to current contracts, lowering the cap hits each season, and spreading "dead charges" over the length of many seasons. That means the team will sometimes pay players who aren't on their roster each year … but it always means Philly will “pay the cap.” …
Long after the player is gone..
While the Eagles remain possessive of a talented roster, that reality also means Lurie has to deal an abnormally large dead cap charge each year.
Fresh off a Super Bowl title in February, this past year's dead charge is one of the largest in NFL history.
The full list of players not currently on the roster, but counting against the cap, is pretty stunning.
Jason Kelce - $16.4 million (Retired)
Josh Sweat - $16.4 million (Free Agency)
Fletcher Cox - $10 million (Retired)
C.J. Gardner-Johnson - $4.6 million (Traded)
Mekhi Becton - $3.4 million (Free Agency)
Devin White - $1.9 million.
In total? We’re looking at about $55 mil in dead money.
To clarify, Lurie and the Eagles are paying the cap on six players who do not play for the team anymore.
That is an enormous dead cap charge.
It is largely about Lurie and his checkbook and his credit card. The Eagles success in recent years is in part a result of that.