In two weeks, each team must be in compliance with the 2012 salary cap, whatever that number may be. In the offseason, cap compliance is based on the cap numbers of the 51 highest-paid players on the roster.
The Raiders may have to dump more than a few of their top 51 in order to get under the cap.
Based on the “top 51” report for each team as of February 28, a copy of which PFT has obtained, the Raiders stand at $145.7 million. That’s more than $16 million more than the next team, the Giants.
The full list can be seen here.
If the 2012 cap lands at $120 million and based on the availability of $3.23 million in 2011 cap space that can be carried over, the Raiders still must clear more than $22 million in the next two weeks.
At the other end of the spectrum are the Bengals, who have only $83.5 million in commitments for 2012. The Buccaneers, Titans, Redskins, and Broncos also are under $100 million.