Cardinals' 2 biggest free agent deals have minimal cap impact in 2025
The Arizona Cardinals have made two big moves in free agency. They signed linebacker Josh Sweat to a four-year, $76.4 million contract. They also added defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to a two-year, $29 million deal.
The $19.1 million and $14.5 million per-year averages for both contracts are the team's biggest moves this offseason, by far.
But their deals have minimal impact on the salary cap in 2025.
Check out how that works.
Josh Sweat's 2025 cap impact
Sweat's deal is structured such that his cap hit this year is only $7.3 million. If he plays in every game, he will be paid a total of $22.1 million this year.
How does that happen?
He got an $18.5 million signing bonus, which prorates over the life of the deal in terms of cap hit. With a fifth year added as a void year, that bonus only counts $3.7 million in 2025. He will be paid $2.5 million in actual salary. He will earn up to $1 million in per-game roster bonuses and also gets a $100,000 workout bonus for participating in the offseason program. That is $22.1 million in cash made in Year 1.
In 2026, his cap hit jumps to $16.4 million because his salary jumps to $9.78 million. But he will get a $7.22 million option bonus, which will also prorate over the remaining years of the deal. That in addition to his $1 million in per-game roster bonuses and $100,000 workout bonus again, means that he will make another $18.1 million in actual money.
Dalvin Tomlinson's 2025 cap impact
Tomlinson's deal is also cap-friendly this year.
He was paid an $8.5 million signing bonus, but the Cardinals put three void years after the two actual years, thus spreading the signing bonus cap hit over five years. Only 20% ($1.7 million) will count in 2025. He will make $5 million in salary, up to $950,000 in per-game roster bonus and a $50,000 workout bonus for participating in the offseason program. He will be paid as much as $14.5 million in cash in 2025, but his cap hit will only be a little more than $7.6 million.
His cap hit will jump to $16.2 million in 2026 but the Cardinals have the ability to get out of the deal with no money paid, save at least $9.4 million in cap space, while carrying $6.8 million in dead money.
The total in 2025
So between Tomlinson and Sweat, the Cardinals will pay them as much as $36.6 million in actual money, they will account for only a little more than $14.9 million against the cap this year.
While the details for two contracts have not come in yet, the Cardinals still have about $45 million in cap space, which, after the deals for tackle Kelvin Beachum and Zay Jones are posted, that total will be closer to $40 million.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals biggest deals have low salary cap impact in 2025
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