What occurs to remaining signing bonus proration if a player is released before June 1?

When a player is released before June 1, the remaining signing bonus proration accelerates into the current league year's salary cap. This means that the total amount left on the proration for the signing bonus gets added to the team's salary cap figure for that season.

The reasoning behind this is that the NFL cap rules stipulate that any unamortized signing bonus amounts are charged to the team’s salary cap in the year the player is released, which helps prevent teams from deferring financial responsibility by releasing players. This policy enhances financial accountability and ensures teams do not take advantage of the system by spreading out bonuses over multiple years if they decide to part ways with a player prematurely.

The other options do not accurately describe the mechanics of signing bonus proration under the salary cap rules. For instance, the option stating it remains with the player misunderstands how cap hits are calculated upon release, while the option about pushing it to the next season contradicts the immediate impact on the current year's cap. Lastly, the distribution among other players does not align with any established salary cap policies in the NFL.