GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers are basically right where they were when free agency opened in terms of salary-cap space even though they signed two veterans -- tight end Jimmy Graham and defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson.
Graham's three-year, $30 million contract ate up $5.66 million of the 2018 cap, while Wilkerson's one-year, $4.7 million deal will count $4,587,500 on the cap.
Those two figures add up to almost exactly what receiver Jordy Nelson would have counted on the cap had the Packers not released him last week on the eve of free agency. They cleared off his base salary and bonuses, which totaled $10.25 million.
After both new contracts were reported, the Packers were at $20,118,181 in available salary-cap space, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Below is a breakdown of Wilkerson's deal. Graham's contract details can be found here.
Length: One year
Cash value: $5 million
Salary-cap charge: $4.875.5 million
Signing bonus: $1.5 million
Base salary: $1.6 million
Reporting bonus: $1 million
Per-game roster bonus: Up to $600,000 ($37,500 per game active)
Workout bonus: $300,000
Incentives: Up to $3 million
Notes: Wilkerson's cap figure is less than the actual cash value because per-game roster bonuses are counted at the rate the player would have been charged in the previous season. Because Wilkerson was on the active roster for 13 of the 16 games last year with the Jets, the Packers' cap charge at this point for the per-game roster bonus is $487,500 (and not the full $600,000). ... The incentives, considered not likely to be earned (and therefore not counting on the cap at this time), are based on sacks, sacks plus making the playoffs, and a Pro Bowl selection. Next year's cap would be adjusted if those bonuses were achieved.
