Check the math. The numbers don't lie, even if NFL general managers occasionally do. The 49ers are currently carrying more than $110 million in dead money on their books. That's salary cap space allocated to players who are currently doing anything but playing for San Francisco this season. In the NFL, $110 million in dead weight isn't a hurdle; it's a tombstone.
The Dallas Cowboys made two trades before Tuesday's deadline and acquired both Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals as well as Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets. It was a big day to say the least. While the Cowboys traded away Micah Parsons a week before the season began, and not in the lead up to the deadline, that was obviously a big deal that re-shaped the makeup of the team.
Their upcoming busy offseason is just one of the many reasons why the Lions wanted to finalize the deal they completed last week with standout Aidan Hutchinson. The organization wanted clarity on Hutchinson's contract numbers, it wanted to structure the deal with cap flexibility to re-sign its other key players, and it knew the challenges ahead. With Hutchinson now signed to a four-year, $180 million extension that includes $141 million guaranteed, the Lions can begin preparing for another challenging offseason.
We've had years here where it's been all draft-focused for a couple of years and then, at some point, you have to reset. When you go and you make aggressive moves like we had made for a few years, you have to reset again and start it over because it's just not sustainable the way the contracts are with players and what they're making now.
The Miami Heat traded Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a top-55 protected 2026 second-round pick, effectively dumping his salary.