The Salary Cap Impact of Madubuike’s Injury

Yesterday the Ravens announced that two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will undergo season ending surgery. And the bad news might not end there for one of the team’s best defenders. This neck injury is thought to be so complex one that it could end Madubuike’s playing career. John Harbaugh hinted as much during his presser yesterday, when asked about Beek’s long-term prognosis.

“That’s a good question. I’m trying to explain it in the best way I can in terms of what I’m allowed to tell you. A lot of that is something that he needs to address with you guys on his time, so I really can’t speak for him – I wouldn’t want to. Those are questions that would be best answered by him going forward, and he may be still getting some information on that as well, but I will leave that for him to answer.”

HIPPA laws prevent Harbaugh from providing further commentary and justly deferred to the player and his representatives.

When I first heard of the devastating potential of this injury a couple of weeks ago, my thoughts drifted back to the day he was selected with the 71st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Nnamdi plays with joy and passion. He’s a grinder who trains with purpose and grit and has even spent an offseason training with future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. When talent meets high-end work ethic, the results are All Pro worthy. If this injury does end Nnamdi’s career, it represents a crushing blow to the team, his teammates and of course to Beek’s career ambitions which likely include a ring and a gold jacket.

Now, with the humbling news, the Ravens need to address some unsavory details and spend time assessing the impact of Madubuike’s 5-year deal signed in 2024 that is worth $98 million, including $53.5 million fully guaranteed and $70.5 million in total guarantees. We assigned the daunting task to RSR’s capologist Brian McFarland. Here’s what Brian shared about Beek’s deal should he in fact retire:

• The Ravens would be absolved from having to pay any future salary, including his $22M fully guaranteed 2026 salary. However, there would still be close to $30M in dead money from his signing bonus and option bonus prorations that haven’t yet hit the Cap.
• Madubuike’s $29.875M Signing Bonus (2024) and $15M Option Bonus (2025) were both prorated over 5 yrs, so the 2026-2029 prorations for those (totaling $29.925M) have not yet hit the Cap – and since the money was paid – must still be accounted for on the Cap.
• The Ravens would likely process the retirement post-June 1, so there would actually be $22M saved on the 2026 Cap, with $8.975M counting as dead money in 2026 and $20.95M in dead money on the 2027 Cap.
• Since cap relief from post-June 1 moves doesn’t hit until June 2, the Ravens will likely redo Madubuike’s deal by reducing his $22M 2026 salary down to the minimum ($1.215M) to get most of the $22M as immediate Cap space in March of ’26, instead of June. The Ravens did this with Michael Pierce’s deal when he retired following the 2024 season.

The importance of the restructured deal allows the Ravens to use the available cap space during the spending period when the new league year begins, and free agency period opens.

Football is still a business. The players know it and while it may seem cold and heartless to address these things now, it must be done to mitigate some of the collateral damage from this potentially devastating loss.

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