For the sake of this exercise, though, let’s say Smith is cleared to play football in 2020 (which is far from certain). A trade would cost his new team $16 million in base salary against its salary cap. The Redskins would save about $5 million in cap space by dealing him, although they would absorb more than $16 million in dead money because of his signing bonus. The savings might not be worth it to the Redskins, considering how much they appreciate his presence.