AFC South 2024 Offseason Financials

Michael Ginnitti
Michael Ginnitti, Managing Editor & NFL/MLB ExpertJanuary 15, 2024
© USA TODAY Sports

Spotrac’s 2024 NFL Offseason Series continues with a look at each of the four AFC North teams, breaking down their estimated Top 51 cap space, pending unrestricted free agents, a few notable bubble players, and potential ways to free up more cap space this winter. 

AFC: NORTH | EAST | SOUTH | WEST
NFC: NORTH | EAST | SOUTH | WEST

Chicago Bears

The Bears fell into a pretty nice situation here. How they’ll handle the #1 overall pick, Justin Fields, etc… remains to be seen, but when also factoring in over $60M of Top 51 cap space this offseason, they stand to hold as much power as any team in the league this winter. Will Chicago subtract a few pieces and ramp up even more cap space, or will this be an offseason of addition?

NOTABLE PENDING UFAS

QUARTERBACK
Bubble: Justin Fields

RUNNING BACK
D'Onta Foreman
Bubble: Travis Homer

WIDE RECEIVERS
Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, Trent Taylor

TIGHT ENDS
Robert Tonyan Jr., Marcedes Lewis

OFFENSIVE LINE
Lucas Patrick, Dan Feeney
Bubble: Cody Whitehair

DEFENSIVE LINE
Justin Jones

EDGE DEFENDERS
Rasheem Green, Yannick Ngakoue

LINEBACKERS
None.

SECONDARY
Jaylon Johnson (CB),
Bubble: Eddie Jackson

SPECIAL TEAMS
Patrick Scales (LS)

CAP CLEARING POSSIBILITIES

  • Trade QB Justin Fields, freeing up $3.2M of cap
  • Release RB Travis Homer, freeing up $1.8M of cap
  • Extend WR D.J. Moore, lowering his $16M cap hit for 2024. Moore projects toward a 3 year, $71M extension in our system.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on TE Cole Kmet, freeing up $7M of cap when factoring in 1 void year
  • Release OL Cody Whitehair, freeing up $9.1M of cap
  • Process a full base salary conversion on OL Nate Davis, freeing up $6.1M of cap when factoring in 3 void years.
  • Process a full base salary + $5M roster bonus conversion on LB Tremaine Edmunds, freeing up $15M of cap when factoring in 2 void years.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on LB T.J. Edwards, freeing up $3.8M of cap when factoring in 3 void years.
  • Release S Eddie Jackson, freeing up $12.5M of cap

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Detroit Lions

Hard not to root for what the Lions have become in 2023. Can they use the 2024 winter to take things to the next level? The offseason likely starts with a brand new contract for QB1 Jared Goff, who enters a contract year this season. The Lions carry around $61M of Top 51 cap space, with rookie contract value all over this roster.

NOTABLE PENDING UFAS

QUARTERBACK
Teddy Bridgewater, Nate Sudfeld

RUNNING BACK
Craig Reynolds

WIDE RECEIVERS
Josh Reynolds, Donovan Peoples-Jones

TIGHT ENDS
None.

OFFENSIVE LINE
G Jonah Jackson, T Matt Nelson, G Halapoulivaati Vaitai, G Graham Glasgow

DEFENSIVE LINE
None.

EDGE DEFENDERS
Charles Harris, Romeo Okwara, Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Bubble: John Cominsky
LINEBACKERS
Julian Okwara

SECONDARY
S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, CB Kindle Vildor, S Will Harris, CB Emmanuel Moseley
Bubble: Tracy Walker

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Michael Bagdley, LS Jake McQuaide

CAP CLEARING POSSIBILITIES

  • Extend QB Jared Goff, lowering his current $31.6M cap hit for 2024. Goff projects toward a 4 year, $150M extension in our system, but it seems logical to assume a $40M per year starting point with this negotiation.
  • Process a full base salary conversion for RB David Montgomery, freeing up $3.3M of cap when factoring in 3 void years.
  • Extend LT Taylor Decker, lowering his current $19.1M cap hit for 2024. Decker projects toward an extension that holds the same $15M AAV he’s been playing on for 4 seasons.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on C Frank Ragnow, freeing up $5.4M of cap when factoring in 2 void years.
  • Release DE John Cominsky, freeing up $4.5M of cap.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on LB Alex Anzalone, freeing up $3.8M of cap when factoring in 3 void years.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on CB Cameron Sutton, freeing up $7.4M of cap when factoring in 3 void years.
  • Release S Tracy Walker, freeing up $5.5M of cap

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Green Bay Packers

The Jordan Love era is officially here, and the rest of the league is miserable about it. It sure looks like Green Bay is smoothly transitioning into yet another well above average QB1 without skipping a beat. Love’s success will come with a price this offseason, as it seems highly unlikely that he’ll operate under an $11M salary for 2024. Future questions surrounding RB Aaron Jones,  & David Bakhtiari could offer a bit of a shakeup to this roster, & with around $8M of Top 51 cap space to their name right now, it’s fair to assume the Packers will be plenty active in the coming week.

NOTABLE PENDING UFAS

QUARTERBACK
None.

RUNNING BACK
A.J. Dillon
Bubble: Aaron Jones

WIDE RECEIVERS
None.

TIGHT ENDS
Josiah Deguara

OFFENSIVE LINE
Jon Runyan, Yosh Nijman
Bubble: David Bakhtiari

DEFENSIVE LINE
None.

EDGE DEFENDERS
None.

LINEBACKERS
Eric Wilson

SECONDARY
CB Keisean Nixon, S Darnell Savage, S Jonathan Owens
Bubble: Nick Scott (S)

SPECIAL TEAMS
None.

CAP CLEARING POSSIBILITIES

  • Extend QB Jordan Love, potentially lowering his current $12.7M cap hit for 2024. Love projects toward a 4 year, $180M extension in our system.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on RB Aaron Jones, freeing up $7.9M of cap when factoring in 4 void years.
  • Release OT David Bakhtiari, freeing up $20.2M of cap.
  • Process a $5.1M roster bonus conversion on OL Elgton Jenkins, freeing up $4M of cap when factoring in 2 void years.
  • Extend DT Kenny Clark, lowering his current $27.4M cap hit for 2024. Clark projects toward a 3 year, $51M extension in our system.
  • Process a $5.4M roster bonus conversion on LB Preston Smith, freeing up $4.3M of cap when factoring in 2 void years.
  • Process a $6.2M roster bonus conversion on EDGE Rashan Gary, freeing up $4.9M of cap when factoring in 1 void year.
  • Process a full base salary + $2.9M roster bonus conversion on LB De'Vondre Campbell, freeing up $6.9M of cap when factoring in 2 void years.
  • Process a full base salary + $8M roster bonus conversion on CB Jaire Alexander, freeing up $10.8M of cap when factoring in 2 void years.

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Minnesota Vikings

All signs point to the Vikings running back pending free agent QB Kirk Cousins, and likely plenty more pieces to their puzzle for the 2024 campaign and beyond. A big extension for star WR Justin Jefferson must hit the books this winter, as should a sizable deal for LT Christian Darrisaw. Minnesota, who carries around $39M of Top 51 cap space, will need to pay big this offseason to stay relevant in the NFC North.

NOTABLE PENDING UFAS

QUARTERBACK
Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs
Bubble: Nick Mullens

RUNNING BACK
None.

WIDE RECEIVERS
K.J. Osborn, Brandon Powell

TIGHT ENDS
Johnny Mundt

OFFENSIVE LINE
G Dalton Risner, T Oli Udoh, T David Quessenberry, G Austin Schlottmann
Bubble: ?Jedrick Wills

DEFENSIVE LINE
Jonathan Bullard
Bubble: Harrison Phillips

EDGE DEFENDERS
Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum, Marcus Davenport
Bubble: Dean Lowry

LINEBACKERS
Jordan Hicks, Anthony Barr

SECONDARY
Bubble: S Harrison Smith, CB Byron Murphy

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Greg Joseph

CAP CLEARING POSSIBILITIES

  • Extend QB Kirk Cousins, lowering his current $28.5M voided dead cap hit for 2024. Cousins projects toward  3 year, $120M extension in our system.
  • Release QB Nick Mullens, freeing up $1.8M of cap.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on RB Alexander Mattison, freeing up $1.74M of cap when factoring in 4 void years.
  • Extend WR ??Justin Jefferson, lowering his current $19.7M cap hit for 2024. Jefferson projects toward a 4 year, $118M extension in our system.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on TE T.J. Hockenson, freeing up $7M of cap when factoring in 1 void year.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on TE Josh Oliver, freeing up $2.8M of cap when factoring in 4 void years.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on OL Brian O'Neill, freeing up $10.6M of cap whe factoring in 2 void years.
  • Release DT Harrison Phillips, freeing up $6.5M of cap
  • Release DE Dean Lowry, freeing up $4.4M of cap.
  • Extend OLB Danielle Hunter, lowering his current $14.9M voided dead cap hit. Hunter projects toward a 3 year, $60M extension in our system.
  • Release S Harrison Smith, freeing up $11.3M of cap.
  • Process a full base salary conversion on CB Byron Murphy, freeing up $5.7M of cap when factoring in 4 void years.

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