Question

[MJZiggy]

If a player is traded that still has a cap hit from a signing bonus, what happens to that cap money? Does it disappear or does the new team take on the cap dollars of a signing bonus from another team? I can't see it accelerating if they've traded the player. What happens?

[chain_gang]

This is what I found, hopefully it helps.


When a player is given a signing bonus, they get the full amount of the bonus immediately. However, teams are able spread the cap hit for that bonus over the length of the players contract, applying an equal portion of the bonus to the cap each year. If that player leaves the team before his contract is up, any portion of his signing bonus that has not yet been charged to the cap is due immediately. The exception is that if the player is CUT after June 1, then only the current year's portion of uncharged signing bonus is charged to the cap. The remaining portion is charged the following year. This only applies to a player being cut....if a player is traded, regardless of when, the entire remaining uncharged portion of his signing bonus is charged to the current year's cap immediately.

[motife]

this doesn't really answer that question, but...

http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/

[RashanGary]

If we traded Woodson right now we'd take his entire remaining signing bonus as a hit.

That is a part of why you don't see big trades in the NFL.

[Iron Mike]

this doesn't really answer that question, but...

http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/

[Patler]

Everyone has gotten it correctly. If you trade a player, the remaining amount of signing bonus counts immediately against the cap. That's what stopped Washington from trading Arrington last year. When the Packers traded McKenzie, the balance of his signing bonus counted against the cap that year.

The acquiring team in the trade assumes all future aspects of the contract, including any roster bonuses, workout bonuses and salaries still due in the current year and due in future years.