Packers $31.6 million under cap after Perry deal

GREEN BAY – After signing linebacker Nick Perry to a five-year, $60 million contract Thursday, the Green Bay Packers are $31.6 million under the salary cap.

The new cap number comes from the NFL Players Association, which receives copies of every contract signed in the NFL and maintains a daily calculation of team expenditures.

Perry’s first-year salary cap drew the Packers’ cap down only $5.85 million, but the inclusion of the Packers’ exclusive rights free agents lowered it some more. Any tender offer the Packers made to those six free agents began counting against the cap Thursday even if they were not signed.

The Packers also signed offensive lineman Don Barclay to a one-year deal worth up to $1.3 million, but the NFLPA had not yet received the contract and so it was not calculated in. His deal probably will shave less than $1 million off the Packers’ cap.

If general manager Ted Thompson manages to sign guard T.J. Lang, they’ll have the choice of eating up $8 million to $10 million of their available cap space or using a structure that only shaves $5 million or so off their total.

The salary cap is $167 million this year.

Meanwhile, the contract numbers of a pair of free agents who left the Packers became available Friday.

Cornerback Micah Hyde received $14 million in guaranteed money in the five-year, $30.5 million contract he signed with the Buffalo Bills, according to a source with access to NFL Players Association salary data.

Hyde will earn $10.3 million in salary in 2017, all of which is guaranteed, including an $8 million signing bonus. His base salary of $3.7 million in 2018 is guaranteed for injury this year, but will become fully guaranteed after the fifth day of the ’18 league season.

Hyde’s base salaries are $2.3 million in ’17, $3.7 million in ’18, $3.95 million in ’19, $4 million in ’20 and $4.05 million in ’21.

He has $500,000 in new-league-year roster bonuses and $500,000 per-game roster bonuses each of the last four years. He also has $100,000 workout bonuses all five seasons and $400,000 Pro Bowl bonuses each year.

Center JC Tretter signed a three-year $16.75 million free agent deal with Cleveland that included $10 million in guarantees.

Tretter received a $4.5 million signing bonus and has base salaries of $2 million in ’17, $4.5 million in ’18 and $5 million in ’19. His base salary in ’17 is fully guaranteed and his base salary for ’18 is guaranteed for injury only but becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the league year.

Tretter also has $500,000 per year escalators based on playing time.