Arizona Cardinals still have cap space to spend

The Arizona Cardinals have managed their money well in efforts to bolster the 2019 starting day roster.

Previously, I wrote an article estimating what the Arizona Cardinals cap space looked like before their signings were made official. After crunching estimated cap hits, draft pool salaries, and release totals, my final estimation of available cap space was $9.975 million, but it could be higher.

While the unknown but the presumably low numbers of new signings Max Garcia and Josh Shaw are not factored in, the Arizona Cardinals could be looking at about $12.1 million in available cap space, per Over The Cap.

But why is that number higher than my previous estimation? The structure of the new deals is the main reason.

Most of the Arizona Cardinals ’19 free-agency deals come with backloaded contracts. The two deals that this impacts the most are their biggest signings; Terrell Suggs and Jordan Hicks. Suggs’ ’19 cap hit is just $5 million with a 2020 prorated bonus of $2 million. Hicks’ ’19 cap hit is at just $5.75 million for the year. However, that number will balloon to $10 million in ’20.

Other cheap contracts are playing an impactful role in creating an active off-season. Possible starters including receiver Kevin White and J.R. Sweezy will have a combined cap hit of just $5.4 million in ’19.

Other cheap contracts signed by the Cardinals this off-season include the signings of previously cut players including Robert Alford, Charles Clay, and Brooks Reed, which combine for just $9.275 million — a reasonable price for players likely to receive plenty of snaps.

Remember, the cap space you see on websites might show the Cardinals cap to be a much higher number ($30 on Over The Cap), but it doesn’t tell the full story. Due to the nature of having the first pick in the draft, the Cardinals draft class should be pretty expensive and could be as much as $13 million.

But, even when you factor in an expensive draft class, Steve Keim has set his team up to still have some money to fill team needs in free agency or via trades.

All contract numbers are from Over The Cap.com.