Falcons are $14.3 million under the cap
After a flurry of deals to reach the 53-man roster, the Falcons have $14.3 million left under the salary cap, according to NFLPA documents.
The Falcons also completed a team-friendly contract re-structure with guard Andy Levitre, who they acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
Levitre’s contract was restructured to lower his salary cap number to $1.5 million, down from the $6.5 million he was set to receive from the Titans. The Falcons did have to pay out a $5.5 million signing bonus, which gave him a new salary cap number of $2.875 million.
He was set to receive $27.3 million on the original six-year, $46.8 million deal he signed with Tennessee as a free agent after spending four seasons in Buffalo.
With the restructured deal, he’s due $23.25 through 2018 with nothing guaranteed past this season.
The restructured deal is reflected in NFLPA documents with Levitre now has base salaries of $1.5 million for 2015, $4 million for 2016, $5.25 million for 2017 and $7 million for 2018.
He’ll probably never see those 2017 and 2018 numbers unless he turns into an All-Pro guard.
This move helped to offset the $4 million cap hit that the Falcons took with the release of center Joe Hawley.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
