Contract Breakdown: William Jackson III counts as less than $7M against salary cap in 2021

If there is one thing that we all should know well by now, it is not to read too much into the initial numbers that we are given once a big-time free agent is signed to a new team.

For the Washington Football Team, those initial numbers for William Jackson III — the top CB on the market — were a bit eye-popping, as reports showed that he signed a 3-year, $42 million contract with Washington that had $26 million guaranteed with an APY of $14 million. That alone would be a significant salary cap hit, but with the level of production that WJ3 brings, fans should still be excited.

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Grading CB William Jackson III's deal with the Washington Football Team: A+

Things got even better on Wednesday morning when the detailed breakdown of WJ3’s contract came out, highlighted by the fact that he only counts as less than $7 million on the salary cap in 2021, with much of his deal prorated to the back-end.

The low cap-hit is incredibly important for a couple of reasons. First off, it allows Washington to have more flexibility this season in free agency as they continue to look for help at the WR, LB, and OT positions. In a year where the salary cap went down because of the coronavirus pandemic, that’s a huge help.

Of course, you can look to the 2022 season and see that his cap-hit more than doubles, counting as $16 million against the cap, but remember that the salary cap will likely go up with the NFL eyeing a new deal with TV partners, and Washington will have more flexibility when it comes to Landon Collins and his massive contract. By that time, also, it’s very possible that we’ve seen WJ3 play for a season, and $16M may seem like a bargain for the skill and production that he brings to the defense.

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