A breakdown of the Bengals' cap space following the Joe Mixon extension
CINCINNATI — The Bengals are finalizing a four-year, $48 million contract extension with running back Joe Mixon.
The 24-year-old will be paid a $10 million signing bonus. He'll make $1.3 million in base salary this season.
Despite the big money up front, the Bengals still have plenty of cap space this season. Only $2 million of Mixon's signing bonus will apply to their 2020 cap. They currently have $13.1 million in remaining space if they wanted or needed to make any other roster moves.
Mixon's base salary will rise to $8 million in 2021-22, before jumping to $9.4 million in 2023.
He will carry a $10.7 million cap hit in 2021. There's plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the salary cap, which is likely to drop due to COVID-19 and teams not being allowed to have fans in the stands.
The projected cap for all 32 NFL teams is $215 million in 2021 according to OverTheCap.com. That number is going to change, but it won't drop below $175 million.
The Bengals are projected to have $54.6 million in cap space next season based on the $215 million projection, which would be the sixth-most in the NFL. That could fall to $14.6 million if the salary cap falls to $175 million in 2020.
A big reason why the Bengals still have room after an offseason full of moves is because of Joe Burrow. Instead of paying Andy Dalton nearly $20 million per season, their quarterback is on a rookie deal.
However, if the cap drops, it could prevent them from retaining players like William Jackson III, Carl Lawson, A.J. Green, Jessie Bates, Sam Hubbard and others. All of whom are entering the final year of their deal or are eligible for an extension next offseason.
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