If you happen to listen in during the 2-6 PM slot on 105.7 The Fan, besides the hosts questioning guests about bar soap v. body wash, you are likely to hear the term “cash over cap”, ad nauseum. For those who are unaware, cash over cap refers to the amount spent on players in a given year that exceeds the cap number.
For example, let’s say that the Browns spend $238.5M in salary and bonuses yet the cap is $208.2M. That’s roughly $30M in cash spent over the cap number. Teams cannot exceed the cap in any single season – they must always be in compliance once the new league year commences.