*Check out the full 2024 offseason guide for insight on other coaching and roster moves for the Eagles.*
This seems like simple one, right? James Bradberry was one of the worst corners in the NFL in 2023, he’s going to be 31 this upcoming season, and the Eagles can save $150,000 if they cut him with a post-June 1st designation.
But the situation is not as simple as it appears.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
If you haven’t read my article on the Eagles 2025 cap situation, that’s an important piece to read to prime this article. The bottom line is this, the Eagles could potentially have $60M in dead cap space next offseason. That’s a lot to navigate around.
If Bradberry is cut this offseason with a post-June 1st designation, he will add another $12.5M in dead cap on top of the $60M the Eagles could already have.
If Bradberry is cut next offseason with a post-June 1st designation, he will free up $4.7M in cap space for the Eagles. That’s a $17.2M dollar swing in cap space! His dead cap hit would then be $9M in 2026, a year where the Eagles will likely have less dead cap money to deal with (they will still have a lot, as Slay will account for $14.3M when he’s cut next offseason).
I get it, we want Bradberry off of the roster as soon as possible. But cutting him now could greatly hurt the Eagles ability to sign free agents THIS offseason.
With the way that Howie Roseman structures contracts, cap space in the future is more important than cap space now. For example, Haason Reddick signed a three year, $45M contract with the Eagles in 2022. That’s an AAV of $15M per year. But in the first year of his contract, his cap hit was only $3.9M. His second year, that number nearly doubled to $7M. This year it is $21.3M. That would be significantly lowered if he signs an extension to remain in Philadelphia.
The point is, there are a lot of free agents the Eagles can go after, especially on the defensive side of the ball where they need a makeover. But the 2024 cap space is not nearly as important as the 2025 and 2026 cap space when it comes to signing free agents.
The same goes for signing players to extensions, though the big numbers for players needing to sign (DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson) won’t kick in until later in their contracts.
For that reason, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Eagles don’t cut Bradberry this offseason. But there are scenarios where they could.
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS
I mentioned in the 2025 cap situation article that this situation is very fluid.
For instance, if Fletcher Cox were to come back, his $10.1M dead cap number would be shifted to 2026 (likely with a lower dead cap number). The same goes for Jason Kelce and his $13M dead cap number. If Reddick does re-sign this offseason, his cap hit in 2025 will be roughly $8-10M. Trey Hendrickson signed a one-year extension with the Bengals for $21M, with an $8M signing bonus. If Reddick signed a similar contract, then his total cap number in 2025 would be about $8.6M.
Here’s a scenario that nobody is talking about – if Reddick is traded this offseason (before June 1st), his $14.7M dead cap in 2025 would be zero dollars. That would also free up $1.2M in cap space this offseason. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but that’s something the Eagles have to think about.
What I’m getting at is this, if a couple of those players that are projected to be off the roster this upcoming season (Kelce, Cox, Graham) or have contracts expiring after this season (Reddick, Sweat) end up returning, then that lowers the 2025 dead cap. That in turn makes it easier to stomach Bradberry’s $12.5M in dead cap for 2025.
This is a situation to monitor, as there are a lot of moving parts this offseason. But don’t be surprised if Bradberry is back for the 2024 season.
