As previously noted on Gridiron Heroics, New Orleans Saints All-Pro right tackle Ryan Ramczyk had knee surgery around the end of February to correct a cartilage issue in his left knee, which he had been dealing with for the previous three seasons. After the surgery was judged successful, Dennis Allen changed his tune concerning Ramczyk’s recuperation, stating that he was not improving as expected, casting doubt on his availability for 2024. Unfortunately for the All-Pro tackle, the Saints placed him on the season-ending reserve/PUP list before training camp began, as many writers assumed he would never play again in the NFL and that retirement was imminent.
Because he is expected to retire this offseason and the Saints will categorize his retirement as a post-June 1 cut, they adjusted Ramczyk’s deal to provide immediate contract relief. NFL regulations mandate that all teams be under the cap by the start of the next year, and the Saints are approximately $67 million over the threshold. This brings them one step closer to salary cap compliance. The New Orleans Saints have revised their All-Pro tackle’s contract.
According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the Saints restructured Ryan Ramczyk’s deal by eliminating/reducing his $18 million basic salary to the league minimum of $1.255 million, and his $29 million cap hit is reduced to $12.33 million for 2025, freeing up $16.745 million in cap space. As a result of the restructuring, the Saints are around $50 million over the cap.
“To help the Saints salary cap, Ramczyk agreed to eliminate his $18 million base salary for 2025 and reduce it to the minimum of $1.255 million,” according to Fitzgerald. “This frees up $16.745 million in salary space, allowing the Saints to keep him on the roster for $12.33 million until June 2nd, when he will most certainly retire. Prior to this, the Saints would have had to carry his cap figure at $29 million in order to take advantage of the June 1 decrease.
What does a post-June 1st haircut look like?
As Jason Fitzgerald points out, Ryan Ramczyk’s contract still has a $23.066 million dead cap charge, which will be spread out throughout the 2026 offseason rather than accelerated into 2025. Because they will classify him as a post-June 1st cut, the Saints will incur a $11.083 million dead cap hit and free up $1.255 million in cap space for 2025, as well as a $11.983 million dead cap hit in 2026.
“Ramczyk’s deal still carries $23.066 million in dead money, which the Saints can split up over two seasons at $11.083 million in 2025 and $11.983 million in 2026. Overall, the Saints are about $12 million better off with the salary cap than if they released him or let him officially retire in March,” Fitzgerald said.
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