How Carson Wentz trade impacts Commanders’ 2022 salary cap

The Washington Commanders didn’t wait very long to address their quarterback conundrum after missing out on Russell Wilson.

After offering a reported three first-round pick and going as far as to throw in an impact player to acquire the Seahawks superstar, Washington turned around and fetched Carson Wentz from Indianapolis for a much-lesser haul.

Per multiple reports, the Commanders are sending a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional third-rounder in 2022 that can morph into a second if Wentz plays 70% of the snaps, similar to the Eagles-Colts trade involving Wentz.

The two teams will also swap second-rounders in this year’s draft. As a result, Washington will move from No. 42 overall to No. 47. Based on what was left on the QB market, the Commanders could’ve done a lot worse.

But enough about the terms of the deal. An underrated aspect of this pseudo-blockbuster is that Washington will absorb Wentz’s full contract.

What does this mean for the Commanders? Let’s investigate.

What does Carson Wentz’s contract mean for the Commanders?

We get the sense Ron Rivera and Co. sacrificed cap space in the name of maintaining as much draft capital as possible, because the Commanders will pay the full $28 million owed to Wentz this season, including his $5 million roster bonus.

Wentz’s cap number for next season sits at $28.294 million, which wipes away a chunk of the $33 million in cap space Washington had before Wednesday. In fact, OverTheCap has already crunched the numbers and the team now ranks 19th in the NFL with $5.914 million in cap space with free agency staring next week.

It’s not an ideal situation by any means, but Washington was always going to take a hit on the cap front regardless of the QB it acquired. Yes, Wentz’s number is a doozy, but it’s less than $2 million more than Jimmy Garoppolo’s $26.95 million, who was likely next in line on the Commanders’ wishlist.

Nevertheless, the Commanders have less than $6 million in cap space to work with, so expect potential roster cuts and a flood of restructured contracts in the coming days. Per OverTheCap, a “simple restructure” of Jonathan Allen’s and Landon Collins’ deals would save a combined $18 million.

Ereck Flowers is another prime restructure candidate. With one year left on his contract, Washington should consider extending him by one or two years, as doing so could salvage as much as $6 million against the cap.

Kendall Fuller could also help the team in the form of a $3 million relief. The same can be said for William Jackson ($6.9 million), Chase Roullier (4.09 million), Curtis Samuel ($6.798 million) and Charles Leno and Logan Thomas, who combined could restore close to $5 million.

Bottom line? Let’s not jump Washington for taking on Wentz’s full contract. We have countless examples over the years that prove the salary cap is a farce. Yes, Washington’s number looks bad now, but there’s a way out of it.