Analyzing the Most Problematic Salary Cap Situation on Every AFC East Team

The free agency frenzy has not yet begun, and thus, there's plenty of time for teams to make some more moves.

At the forefront of those moves will be a few players whose contracts may be a little oversized considering their level of play or their age. Will those players be willing to take a pay cut to stay with the team? If not, will their team be willing to take the cap hit and part ways?

These are just some of the questions in the discussion, and here are some of the names.

All information for this article provided by Rotoworld.

New York Jets: Santonio Holmes and Bart Scott

The Jets took the advice of Beyoncé a little too closely last year, putting a proverbial ring on both Holmes and Scott. By committing to both, the team has found themselves in a very precarious situation this year as they try to repair their torn locker room while keeping two of their biggest financial investments.

Holmes is on the hook for $7.5 million guaranteed, Scott for $4.2 million. The problem for the Jets is, there's really nothing they can do about either one; they're on the hook for both next year.

New England Patriots: Chad Ochocinco

Many had hoped that Ochocinco could add something to the Patriots offense. He did: a whole 15 catches. He never had a grasp of the offense in New England, but, according to Greg Bedard of The Boston Globe, he could be back on a restructured deal.

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The more people I talk to about Ochocinco, the more convinced I am that it’s never going to work for him in this offense. It just seems like he’ll never get it. But depending on the other moves, he could be back under a restructured contract, then subject to a release. The team and players loved having him around. He was a terrific teammate, just not even close to being effective.

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He's set to make around $3 million according to Rotoworld, which is a bit much for a receiver that caught one reception for every game he played and one touchdown in all of 2011. Restructuring the deal for him to come back, as Bedard alludes, comes with the question mark of whether or not he'll ever get it in the Patriots offense. 

But if the Patriots aren't expecting a great deal of improvement upon his 2011 season, $3 million isn't an option. At that price and with that production, New England is paying $200,000 per catch, $10,870 per yard and...well, $3 million per touchdown.

Buffalo Bills: Ryan Fitzpatrick

The Bills probably jumped the gun a little on the Ryan Fitzpatrick deal, and they are paying for it now.

The Amish Rifle saw his production sink like a gun tied to a brick and thrown in the ocean after signing a big-time contract during the 2011 season. The contract included a $10 million signing bonus.

There are options along the way that allow the team to move on from him, but this first one kicks in on March 19.

If the Bills pull the trigger, they're on the hook for $7.8 million. If they don't, according to NYJetsCap.com, they could be on the hook for as much as $13 million in dead money. Is that a risk they're willing to run? Not likely. Hence, it's Fitzpatrick for at least another year.

Miami Dolphins: Yeremiah Bell

I must give it to the Dolphins. They have done a great job of managing contracts and not putting themselves in any stupid situations when it comes to dead money if they move on from anyone.

The Dolphins have just one contract to call into question: safety Yeremiah Bell, with a $4.3 million salary due in 2012. The Dolphins would only have to absorb $1.85 million in dead money if they were to cut him, according to NYJetsCap.com, which they may consider at his age and his level of play.

And if they're going to target Peyton Manning, they'll probably look into every small move they can possibly make to find the cap space to do so.

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