In dealing Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers triggered a dead cap hit of $40.313 million for 2023, the second-biggest single-year and total dead cap hit in NFL history.
That number will be more than doubled – and set a new NFL record – when the Denver Broncos officially release Russell Wilson.
Here are the 10 biggest dead cap hits in NFL history:
10. Brandin Cooks – Rams
Dead Money: $21.8 million
In 2018, the Los Angeles Rams liked Brandin Cooks so much they invested a first- and fifth-round pick (in a trade with the New England Patriots) and $50.5 million in guaranteed money in him. At the time, it was an aggressive investment to give Jared Goff a weapon. In hindsight, it was a reckless investment that gave Goff 122 receptions over two seasons.
After acquiring Cooks in April 2018, the Rams signed him to a five-year, $80-million extension in July 2018. It was one of the worst contract decisions in American sports history, one that left the Rams $21.8 million in dead money after trading Cooks to the Houston Texans in April 2020.
9. Jared Goff – Rams
Dead Money: $22.2 million
Just 10 months after the Cooks' dead cap hit, the Rams took an almost identical hit when dealing Jared Goff and his four-year, $134-million deal to the Detroit Lions.
After exercising Goff's fifth-year option earlier in the league year, the Rams signed Goff to the mega-deal in 2019 that included $110 million in guarantees. It was the most guaranteed money in NFL history and made him one of the 15 highest-paid athletes in the world for 2020.
Like Cooks' deal, it proved reckless and left the Rams with $22.2 million in dead money, breaking their own record from a year earlier.
8. DeAndre Hopkins – Cardinals
Dead Money: $22.6 million
In September 2020, six months after his trade from the Houston Texans, DeAndre Hopkins signed a two-year extension with the Cardinals worth $54.5 million. His contract was set to run through 2024.
Hopkins and the Cardinals didn’t reach those two extension years. He was released after just three seasons, which triggered a $22.6-million dead cap hit for 2023.
7. Julio Jones – Falcons
Dead Money: $23.25 million