Ravens Get Boost in Salary Cap Space

The Baltimore Ravens now have a bit of extra cash to work with.

Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) reacts against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports | Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

In what may be the quietest month of the year in the NFL, June 1 ends up being a pretty significant day across the league, and this year for the Baltimore Ravens.

When teams decide to release players, they can choose to do so with a post-June 1 designation months before the actual date. By doing so, teams can spread out the dead cap hit across two seasons rather than absorbing it all in one year. Additionally, teams will have a bit of extra cap space free up once June actually comes around.

This year, the Ravens are one of the benefactors of this extra cap space. The extra cap space comes from an unexpected source: Odell Backham Jr.

While it's true that the Ravens signed Beckham for just one year, they restructured the contract in January to remove the void years built in and allow them to use a post-June 1 designation if they couldn't agree to an extension. As a result, the Ravens now have an additional $1.2 million in immediate cap space to play with, according to Spotrac. Not much, but every little bit helps.

As for the dead cap hits, the Ravens will eat $2.767 million in dead money in 2024 followed by $8.3 million in 2025.

Now in his thirties and after suffering multiple major injuries, Beckham wasn't quite the superstar he once was in his lone season in Baltimore. Still, he caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games, serving as a decent No. 2 option behind Zay Flowers.

In May, Beckham finally found a new home when he signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Miami Dolphins. Now, he joins a team that already has two elite receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and the talent around him could allow the Dolphins to maximise his skillset.

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