In 2024, the Cleveland Browns will be nearly $60 million over the salary cap. That is before they factor in the rollover cap, which the Browns always do, and before any restructures that could take place. That likely means it will be time for general manager Andrew Berry to make some tough decisions on older players with large salary cap numbers like wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Fans likely won’t like some of the changes that could be on the way as fan-favorite players could be casualties to the NFL salary cap. All three of these players could agree to contract extensions or restructures to spread the money out and lower the cap hit but if that doesn’t happen they could be looking for new teams in 2024.
All cap figures and numbers in this article are provided by Over the Cap.
1
Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver
2024 Cap Number: $23.77 million
Dead Money if cut (Post June 1): $3.776 million
Cap Savings if cut (Post June 1): $20 million
Amari Cooper is among the best route runners in the NFL and is still a premium wideout. However, he will be 30 next season, and that is when players in the position start to decline. It would be great if the team and the player could find a medium on a possible extension to lower the cap number.
With very little dead money he seems headed towards being a cap casualty. The team has added a ton of talent to the wide receiver room and if the younger players play at a high level this season as I expect they will it will cement this cut as very likely.
2
Nick Chubb, Running back
2024 Cap Number: $16.2 million
Dead money if cut (Post June 1): $4 million
Cap savings if cut (Post June 1): $12.2 million
Nick Chubb is one of the best running backs in the NFL, some would say that he is the best. It would be really hard to watch him leave but that big of a cap number doesn’t make sense in the modern NFL. This is a passing league and when you look at recent Super Bowl winners it’s about passing offenses and elite quarterback play, not the running game and an elite running back.
You still need a running game to keep defenses honest but it no longer is a premium position that needs premium salaries. Could Chubb be the type of player that takes a pay cut to help the team win? Sure he absolutely could but if he doesn’t he likely is playing his last season in Cleveland.
3
Wyatt Teller, Guard
2024 Cap number: $9.326 million
Dead money if cut (Post June 1): $2.926 million
Cap savings if cut (Post June 1): $6.4 million
The team has a ton of money tied up in the offensive line and eventually, they will need to save some for other positions. Wyatt Teller could be the odd man out even though cutting Joel Bitonio would save the team more money than Teller.
However, it’s the strengths of the two players that make Teller more likely to be the one cut. This team is moving towards more of a pass-first offense and Teller is more of a bruising run-game blocker. The cap number isn’t huge but the team will need to look at ways to cut costs and this seems like a likely place to do that.
