The deadline for NFL players to opt-out for the 2020 season due to the coronavirus passed on Thursday, so the guys in the building are officially in the building for the future. The only two players to opt-out in Washington were DL Caleb Brantley and LB Josh Harvey-Clemons.
So how do things stand as far as the salary cap goes following the deadline? Washington is still near the top of the league in terms of space, but they’ve been jumped one spot by the New England Patriots, who had an unprecedented 8 players declining to play.
It’s unlikely that Washington will choose to use much of that salary cap space ahead of the 2020 season, though there are several holes on the roster that could be filled quickly and make a big difference, like at the WR position. Rather, they will undoubtedly carry most of the $30 million forward to 2021, where they can work hard to re-sign players and bring in some free agent talent.
