Looking at the biggest wastes of salary-cap space for the 2024 NFL season

Yet more evidence of the NFL’s lack of respect for the salary cap is how inefficiently some teams have used their cap space in 2024:

▪ With the main wave of free agency complete, the league average for dead cap money — money that is being used on players no longer with the team — is $24.99 million per team, or about 10 percent of the salary cap ($255.4 million). Six teams already have at least $40 million in dead cap space, led by the Vikings at $57.37 million, with more than $43 million for Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter alone. The Bills and Chargers are also over $50 million, while the Panthers, Packers, and Buccaneers are over $40 million. These are teams that consider themselves playoff contenders (at least in their minds), not starting over from scratch.

On the other end are six teams under $10 million in dead cap space: The Rams, Chiefs, Falcons, Bengals, Colts, and 49ers, also all contenders. The Patriots rank 18th with $21.5 million, with Devin McCourty still accounting for $6.2 million in his second season after retirement.

▪ There are seven players who will carry dead salary cap numbers of at least $20 million for the 2024 season. The most eye-popping number belongs to Russell Wilson, who will count $53 million against the Broncos’ salary cap this year, an NFL record for dead cap money. The Broncos had $85 million in dead cap space to deal with when releasing Wilson last month, and opted to take the majority of it in 2024 and $32 million in 2025, instead of the other way around.

Other players with huge dead cap numbers: Stefon Diggs ($31.096 million, Bills), Cousins ($28.5 million, Vikings), Haason Reddick ($21.52 million, Eagles), J.C. Jackson ($20.833 million, Chargers), and Jamal Adams ($20.833 million, Seahawks). Aaron Donald will count $24.9 million for the Rams once he retires, but he hasn’t officially done so yet, prompting the thought that the Rams could be leaving the door open for his return.

Three other players are carrying dead cap charges of at least $20 million — Jimmy Garoppolo (Raiders), Xavien Howard (Dolphins), and D.J. Humphries (Cardinals) — but they were designated post-June 1 releases, so, come June 2, their dead cap money will be spread over two years, but the teams have to carry the full amount until then.

▪ Finally, there are a few players with hugely inefficient salary cap numbers, highlighted by Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. He leads the NFL at a record $63.775 million in 2024, which further emphasizes the ridiculousness of the $230 million fully guaranteed contract they gave him three years ago.

Only four other players have a cap number of at least $40 million: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott ($55.133 million), Rams QB Matthew Stafford ($49.5 million), Cardinals QB Kyler Murray ($49.118 million), and Giants QB Daniel Jones ($47.855 million). After Jones is a considerable dropoff, with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes next ($37 million) followed by Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ($32.4 million), which look like comparative steals.

Considering how easy it is to create cap space — the Bills simply turned Josh Allen’s salary into signing bonuses, gave him a $5 million raise, and still created more than $16 million in cap space this offseason — those massive cap numbers are telling. It seems the Browns, Cowboys, Rams, Cardinals, and Giants don’t have much faith in their quarterbacks remaining with the team long term, and would rather take their financial lumps now instead of kicking them down the road.

▪ Wilson’s $53 million in dead cap money is the third-highest cap number this season. Also, the NFL has 29 cap numbers of at least $25 million in 2024, and Cousins accounts for two of them — $28.5 million for the Vikings and $25 million for the Falcons.

Joe Burrow has only played one game against the Patriots, a 22-18 win in 2022 in which Burrow threw for 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. But, in four NFL seasons, he has apparently made big fans in Foxborough.

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo unexpectedly singled out Burrow at the NFL owners meetings when asked what he looks for in a quarterback.

“You see some of the top quarterbacks in the league, those guys get smacked and get right back up — the offensive linemen help them up,” Mayo said. “I think that is very important when you’re scouting this position. The competitor, like Tom [Brady], the toughness. You see guys like Joe Burrow get smacked and gets right back up, it’s pretty impressive.”

And recently on Julian Edelman’s “Games With Names” podcast, Ernie Adams also singled out Burrow when Edelman asked for a typical question he would ask at the NFL Combine.

“What’s the thing you’re really proud of in football?” was Adams’s answer. “The one I remember was Joe Burrow. State championship game in Ohio, came down to the goal-line stand. He was the linebacker. Right here, this is my kind of guy. He’s a football player.”

The Michigan Panthers of the United Football League have a player whom NFL teams are banging down doors to sign: The kicker.

Jake Bates, whose only NFL experience was a two-week stint last year in Texans training camp, has been the star of the UFL. He hit a game-winning 64-yard field goal with three seconds left March 30, making the kick twice after the St. Louis Battlehawks iced him with a timeout. Bates followed it last week with a 62-yarder at the end of the second quarter, and a 52-yarder in the third quarter of a loss to the Stallions.

Bates now has kicked more 60-yard field goals at Ford Field (two) than the Lions have in the stadium’s 22 seasons (zero). His performance is even more impressive considering he never attempted a field goal in three college football seasons, serving only as a kickoff specialist for Texas State and Arkansas.

Given the Patriots’ shaky kicking situation with Chad Ryland, it would be a surprise if they don’t have Bates on their radar. But they wouldn’t be the only one. Panthers coach Mike Nolan complained this past week that NFL teams and player agents are improperly contacting Bates. An NFL spokesman said teams may contact the Panthers about Bates but are not supposed to contact Bates directly, and cannot sign him until the UFL season concludes.

“Hopefully that backs off a little bit because that’s not — they’re not supposed to do that,” Nolan, formerly an NFL head coach and defensive coordinator for 22 seasons, told the Detroit Free Press. “I’d love to see him in the NFL, and no one right now can do him any good, so the best thing I can do is keep those people away from him currently, because I’m not helping Jake if I don’t do that.”

Bill Belichick may not be coaching this spring, but he’s still hitting the college circuit. Last week, he took in practice at the University of Washington, where his son, Steve, is defensive coordinator and former Patriots quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch is head coach. Belichick was the featured speaker recently at the University of Nebraska’s high school coaching clinic, which reflects his good relationship with Cornhuskers coach and former Carolina head coach Matt Rhule.

Speaking to reporters the next day, Rhule said he was blown away by Belichick’s insight, stamina, and willingness to help.

“I was embarrassed yesterday listening to him — how smart he is, how simple it was,” Rhule said. “Three and a half hours in, I was like, ‘Coach, would you like a water? Coffee? Would you like to use the restroom?’ ‘Cause I desperately had to use the restroom. And he was like, ‘I’m fine, Matt,’ and I was like, ‘Yes, sir.’ ”

“You know, the only reason why we don’t get through more information is because he’s having to slow down to make sure you understand what he’s saying.”

Tom Brady stirred the pot last week when, appearing on the “DeepCut” podcast, he said he “wouldn’t be opposed to it” if a team called and asked him to play quarterback, specifically mentioning the Patriots and Raiders.

But it’s the other part of his answer that’s arguably more important: “I don’t know if they’re going to let me, if I become an owner of an NFL team,” Brady said.

This confirms that Brady is still trying to buy a slice of the Raiders, even though the deal has been red-flagged by the NFL’s finance committee for nearly 11 months over concerns that he’s getting too much of a discount, as much as 70 percent.

If Brady’s deal ever does get approved, it doesn’t seem likely that 24 owners will vote to allow him to play, since Brady’s role as a minority owner would make for an unprecedented and complicated salary cap situation. More likely, he would have to choose one or the other — ownership or quarterback.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame released a statement Thursday following the passing of O.J. Simpson, stating he “was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000 yards. His on-field contributions will be preserved in the Hall’s archives in Canton.”

What the Hall is really saying is that the honor is about football only, and Simpson, a 1985 inductee, won’t be removed despite being found civilly liable for the stabbing death of two people.

“We had to abide by our bylaws, and our bylaws do not have any provision for removal,” former Hall of Fame executive director Joe Horrigan said in 2016. “That was probably the highest-profile case that caused us to have discussions on the incident. But ultimately our board voted that it had to be determined on how he played the game.”

The Heisman Trust, which forfeited Reggie Bush’s 2005 award because his family took some money, also still recognizes Simpson winning the 1968 trophy.

While the Hall won’t remove Simpson because it doesn’t consider his off-field life to be relevant, Hall of Fame voters haven’t considered the candidacy of Darren Sharper since he first appeared on the ballot in 2016. Sharper, a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team who is tied for eighth on the all-time list with 63 interceptions, is in federal prison until at least 2028 for pleading guilty to drugging and raping 16 women in four states.

In 24 years under Bill Belichick, the Patriots were known to have great tight ends and slot receivers, but weren’t too keen on investing in expensive No. 1 receivers.

They got Randy Moss in 2007, but only because he was available for $3 million and a fourth-round pick. They got Chad Johnson and Reggie Wayne, but at the end of their careers. They didn’t use a first-round pick on a receiver until N’Keal Harry went 32nd in 2019. The only time they somewhat splurged was in 2019 when they signed Antonio Brown with a $9 million signing bonus as an olive branch to Tom Brady, who was not pleased with his other choices.

So, it’s hard not to notice that several Belichick disciples have sought an expensive, No. 1 receiver after they leave Foxborough. Texans general manager Nick Caserio last week traded for Stefon Diggs, and will pay him $22 million in 2024. One of Josh McDaniels’s first moves in Las Vegas was to trade first- and second-round picks for Davante Adams and give him $65 million guaranteed. And, of course, former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff drafted Julio Jones at No. 6 in 2011 even after Belichick advised him not to.

It’s fair to wonder if McDaniels and Caserio were frustrated and felt hamstrung in New England by the fact that Belichick wouldn’t invest in game-changing, outside receivers.

The Rams are finally throwing their first draft party since moving to Los Angeles in 2016, hosting the Rams Draft Experience at the Hermosa Beach Pier Plaza. The Rams, picking 19th, are likely to use their first-round draft pick for the first time since 2016, when they picked Jared Goff No. 1 overall. The Rams traded their 2017 pick for Goff, 2018 pick for Brandin Cooks, 2019 pick to Atlanta for more picks, their 2020 and 2021 picks for Jalen Ramsey, and their 2022 and 2023 picks for Matthew Stafford . . . NBC is taking ownership of the NFL’s opening weekend. The main network will televise the two big games in Week 1, the Thursday night Kickoff Game and the first “Sunday Night Football” matchup. And the Packers-Eagles game in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on Friday night of Week 1 will be exclusively broadcast on Peacock . . . That Week 1 game in Brazil will be the NFL’s second since 1970 to occur on a Friday night before Week 12. In 2005, the Chiefs and Dolphins had a Week 7 game moved to a Friday night because of Hurricane Wilma . . . Top quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye will be among the 13 prospects attending the draft in two weeks in Detroit. But Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. weren’t invited, and J.J. McCarthy never responded to his invite, per Pro Football Talk . . . Seven of the nine players given the franchise or transition tag this year have already signed long-term deals. The two who haven’t: Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. . . . Lamar Jackson had input last year in the draft pick that resulted in receiver Zay Flowers, and it appears the Ravens will let Jackson have some say again. “He looks at guys on tape,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Lamar has never been shy about sharing his opinion about draft picks or free agents.” . . . Bless 11-year safety Tyrann Mathieu, who participated in the NFL’s media boot camp last week to prepare for a career after football. “One day into this media workshop & I have a new found respect for sports media,” Mathieu tweeted.

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.