The Dolphins entered the 2022 offseason with over $60 million in cap space and began free agency with close to $50 million, ample space to retain free agents and bring in new players.

But this time around, Miami will have to do some maneuvering to be active during free agency. The Dolphins are currently projected to be $16 million over the cap, according to Over the Cap. Grier said the team will have the flexibility to make offseason moves, but restructures, cuts and potential trades figure to be imminent.

According to Over the Cap, the Dolphins can clear close to $78 million in cap space with simple restructures, which convert payments into prorated signing bonuses over the remainder of the contract. Miami can clear close to $112 million in cap space with maximum restructures, which also convert payments into prorated signing bonuses but add void years, which do not extend the contract and are used as placeholders for the prorated bonus.

Players under contract who can clear room with a restructure include wide receiver Tyreek Hill ($18.9 million), outside linebacker Bradley Chubb ($14.7 million) and left tackle Terron Armstead ($12.6 million).

Been saying this for weeks now. Miami has the flexibility to do whatever it wants in free agency and extensions.

It's something the players have to agree to, but it's often a pretty easy thing to create a win-win situation. For example if a player like Christian Wilkins is owed 10 million dollars in salary next year you can sign him to an extension, pay him 4 million a year for 3 years and give him a 10 million dollar signing bonus that doesn't count against the cap. It lowers the cap hit but actually gets the player more in guaranteed money. Those numbers aren't real, but it's just the idea of how to manage the cap.

The cap is going up 16.6 million to 224.8 million, that will help.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/355 ... ource-says

Player salaries go up with a rising cap number.

The signing bonus does count against the cap, but its amortized over the term of the contract. It's always the primary reason there is dead cap when players are cut prior to their contract going to term.

NFL teams were informed Monday, per multiple reports, that the salary cap for 2023 will be set at $224.8 million per team. The figure will set a new cap record, topping the previous mark of $208.2 million in 2022.

The higher salary cap, of course, coincides with increased revenue generated by the NFL, including the 17th regular season game.

A couple of weeks after their playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins have 44 players under contract for 2023 with a combined cap number of more than $240 million, according to Over The Cap.

How do you approach a player like Hill and say "Look guy, we need to make you take less money."

The word "restructure" does not mean "reduction". It means finding a way to pay him money he is due this year as a new signing bonus, so he gets it immediately and we spread out the hit, thereby reducing his cap number for this season.