The NFL finds itself in the period between the Super Bowl and the draft, but that doesn’t mean there is ever a dull day around the league. Days after, the Philadelphia Eagles traded former first-round pick Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. They were among the teams cutting high-priced veterans. There is usually a flurry of cuts before March as teams hurry to get under the salary cap before the league year starts and before roster bonuses kick in.
On the same day, Wentz publicly said goodbye to Philadelphia via social media. The team released veteran wide receiver Desean Jackson. The 34-year-old was the Eagles second-round pick in 2008, and his release ends his second stint in Philly. He left after the 2013 season for three years in Washington and two more in Tampa Bay before returning to the Eagles in 2019.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Jackson was limited to five games in 2020 due to a series of injuries. No player in NFL history has more touchdowns of over 60 yards (24), and Jackson ranks sixth in league history in yards per reception at 17.4. By cutting Jackson now, the Eagles save nearly $6 million in cap space but are still projected to be roughly $50 million over the 2021 cap.
Jackson has played just eight games over the last two years but posted on Instagram that he is “looking forward to the next chapter.” In his 13 seasons, he has 612 receptions for 10,656 yards and 56 receiving touchdowns to go with another four return scores.
Packers Release Pair
The Green Bay Packers, fresh off a run to the NFC Championship Game, also shed salary on Friday as they cut veteran offensive tackle Rick Wagner and linebacker, Christian Kirksey.
Wagner is reportedly leaning toward retirement after his first season with the Packers. He started 11 of the 16 games in 2020 and is a Wisconsin native who played with the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions since entering the league in 2013. Had he remained on the roster, Wagner would have cost the Packers $4.25 million against the cap in the final year of his contract.
The 2020 season was also Kirksey’s first with the Packers after six seasons in Cleveland. He would have counted $6 million on the 2021 cap and missed five games with injuries during the 2020 season. The 28-year-old has 13.5 career sacks to go with four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
The Packers will need to make additional moves if they are going to make a run at free-agent defensive end J.J. Watt, a Wisconsin native. DraftKings currently has the Packers at +200 and the favorites to land the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Cleveland is +250, with Pittsburgh at +450.
Panthers Shed Nearly $30 Million in Cap Space
The busiest team over the weekend was the Carolina Panthers as they let go of four players and shed $28.5 million in cap space. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short, safety Tre Boston, punter Michael Palardy, and defensive end Stephen Weatherly were all let go but won’t be official until March 17.
Short alone doubled the Panthers’ cap space as his release saved the team $8.6 million. The Panthers lead the team in dead money on their cap space with $22.6 million before this series of moves. After the four releases kick in, the team will be in the top 10 in available space as they look to improve the quarterback situation. Carolina also is left with only one starting offensive lineman from 2020 under contract as they prepare for the draft and free agency.
Carolina tried hard to land Matthew Stafford before Detroit traded the veteran signal-caller to the Los Angeles Rams during Super Bowl week. They are the betting favorites at DraftKings to land Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Carolina is listed at +200 with no trade at +250 and the Denver Broncos at +400.
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