The Denver Broncos currently have the eighth-highest “dead money” salary cap total in the NFL.
NFL dead money happens when a team has already paid a player who is no longer on the team but still has a salary cap hit.
For example, if the Broncos signed a quarterback two a two-year deal and gave him a $6 million signing bonus, that bonus would be prorated over two years for cap purposes ($3 million per season). If Denver then cut that QB before the 2021 season, his $3 million prorated bonus would still count against the team’s cap as dead money.
Here is a look at the 10 teams with the most dead money in the league, according to OverTheCap.com:
| 1. Carolina Panthers | $36,465,836 |
| 2. Jacksonville Jaguars | $33,963,647 |
| 3. New England Patriots | $25,998,491 |
| 4. Detroit Lions | $20,426,896 |
| 5. Minnesota Vikings | $20,425,895 |
| 6. Miami Dolphins | $20,182,227 |
| 7. Baltimore Ravens | $16,745,915 |
| 8. Denver Broncos | $15,985,986 |
| 9. Philadelphia Eagles | $15,424,342 |
| 10. Atlanta Falcons | $13,082,516 |
The players that are creating the most dead money on the Broncos’ salary cap are quarterback Joe Flacco ($13.6 million), fullback Andy Janovich ($1,012,500) and guard Ron Leary ($875,000), according to OTC.
Despite its high dead money total, Denver is still projected to have around $21 million in remaining salary cap space for the 2020 season.
