Two more major Commanders cuts as we head into the new league year: the team has confirmed they have released tight end Logan Thomas, who was scheduled to make $6.5 million this season (including a $500K roster bonus due this month), and per Adam Schefter, the team has informed offensive lineman Nick Gates that he will also be released.
Thomas, who turns 33 in July, had 55 catches for 496 yards and four TD in 2023, his fourth season in DC – a big rebound after two down seasons. He signed a two-year, $6.1 million deal prior to 2020 and, after six non-descript seasons in the league, had 72 grabs for 670 yards and six TD that year and earned a three-year, $24 million extension.
However, he missed 11 games in 2021 and three more in 2022 and had a 57-519-4 in those two years combined, and by releasing him now, the Commanders create $6.5 million in cap space while incurring just a $1.7M dead cap penalty.
Gates, meanwhile, signed a three-year deal before last season, but struggled at center and was benched late in the year. He was set to be reunited with Bobby Johnson, his OL coach in New York in 2022, but by cutting him now, thy owe him $2 million actual cash in guaranteed salary and incur a $5.3 million dead cap hit, while saving only $333,000 against the cap.
Had the Commanders chosen to make Gates a post-6/1 cut, their dead cap hit would be just $3.65 million this year and they would save $2mm under the cap this year – but that would add the remainder of that original $5.3 million to next year’s dead cap, and given the wealth of space this year, the savings this year may not be worth it.
With the moves, the Commanders now have just four players with a cap hit north of $5 million on the books – Daron Payne, Terry McLaurin, Jon Allen, and Andrew Wylie – and two more, 2022 and 2023 first-rounders Jahan Dotson and Emmanuel Forbes, whose dead cap would be above that number if they are moved.