After covering 2022 fantasy football busts for about a month, we are moving into some finances you may want to be aware of heading into 2023. There will undoubtedly be some veterans cut for their current team to save money on the cap. The five teams listed in the title are the five NFC teams most over the current cap needing to make some tough decisions to get under the number prior to 2023 kickoff.
Below you will see the five worst cap teams and players who carry a lower dead cap hit than their 2023 salary. Each could, and I emphasize COULD, be a cap casualty. There are many moving parts, and each of these teams can attempt to restructure deals. They can also work to change salaries into signing bonuses. These front office personnel make the big bucks and will bring a bunch of financial wizardry to the table to ensure their team stays competitive for years to come. We will also hit on some names that will probably be released even though their current team is not on the short list of worst cap numbers.
@BobbyLamarco and Mitch will be chatting about these teams and their cap issues on the Tuesday night Razzball YouTube channel. So tune in and be a part of the discussion with your questions and comments. As always, if you want to discuss anything in this article, feel free to drop notes at the bottom of this thread.
New Orleans Saints – Begin the list with a team with no true QB1 heading into 2023. Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill? I do not see a QB1. In fact, I see two QB2 and some oddball, hybrid, wanna be QB in a small TE/tall FB body. I assume Winston will be cut unless the Saints are good with paying him in the $4-5M range while accepting another mediocre season. Seriously, $57M over the cap does not allow the Saints to do much outside of the upcoming draft. Read that number again…$57M! That is without a massive QB salary on the books. So, where do they cut fat? Outside Winston, only LT James Hurst ($4.7M savings) and TE Adam Trautman ($2.7M savings) move the needle heading into 2023. Either the Saints will go with a 45-man roster, cook the books, or basically clean house and begin a full rebuild from the ground up. We shall see how they approach that incredible challenge. And to think they are in a winnable division and may not be able to put a viable roster on the field is just mind-boggling. If Trautman is let go, I see Juwan Johnson as the beneficiary of additional receptions.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The GOAT has retired (again), yet somehow the Bucs are $55M over the cap. A lot of their issue resides with the Lombardi Trophy they recently brought home. Now, they pay the fiddler. The question is,’ How?’ By releasing the top two LTs (Donovan Smith and Jedrick Wills), the Bucs can trim $13M+ off the bill. I am of the opinion very few NFL teams have three deep at LT, so the likelihood of both being cut is slim to none. Smith, with the almost $10M savings, may be the first jettisoned from the roster. The next cost casualty might be Shaq Mason, who brings $5.2M off the ledger. Again, can a team that wants to win really release two OL? We shall see with Tampa Bay. An obvious cut is Leonard Fournette, who was not 2022 TD Lenny, will save $3.5M and pave the way for Rachaad White to be the lead back. Fournette looked slow and tired down the stretch, and I am not sure he will fit the new offensive structure in Tampa Bay, but we will need to see who the new OC is before passing too much judgment. There are three pass catchers who could find their way to the wire on cut day: Russell Gage ($2.8M), Mike Evans ($2.3M), and Cameron Brate ($2.0M). I can see the bookends (Gage, Brate) make more sense than Evans. With the large number needing to be reduced, Evans may be a cap casualty, nonetheless. If, like the Saints, the Bucs are in bottom-up, rebuild mode, then I can see Evans as an easy choice as an older WR. If all three skill players are released, look for an uptick in opportunities for Chris God...
