When the Redskins were hit with a $18 million salary cap penalty for this season (with an equal amount set to hit in 2013), it was reasonable to think that they would go into training camp just barely under the cap. Either that or some high-priced veterans would have to be thrown overboard to keep the ship from sinking. Or perhaps some veteran free agents like London Fletcher would have to be let go.
As it turns out, none of the above turned out to be the case. Santana Moss and Chris Cooley are still on the roster despite high cap numbers and reserve status. The Redskins didn’t lose Fletcher to another team. And they have more cap room than about half of the teams in the NFL.
According to Pro Football Talk, Washington has $6.79 million remaining in cap space. That is more than 15 other NFL teams.
The Jaguars have the most cap room with $25.1 million in reserve. On the other end of the scale are the Ravens, who are looking under couch cushions for spare change with only $660,000 in cap space left.
What should the Redskins do with their remaining cap space? After signing draft picks Robert Griffin III and Josh LeRibeus, absolutely nothing. You always want to go into a season with a few million in cap space to account for players on injured reserve. And anything that they don’t spend this year will be added to their cap next year. That will help mitigate the effects of that 2013 cap penalty.
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