NFL 2021 Salary Cap Set : $182.5M

[BigKen]

NBC Sports Boston announced on Boston Sports Tonight on Friday, that the NFL and NFLPA have agreed that due to the excessive losses for the NFL and NFL teams the salary cap will be set at $175M for 2021. There was serious concerns that the cap could be hit for as much as $90M which would have made for a disastrous next four to five years. The twenty $23M cut will have a serious effect on 13 teams that will be over the cap before the draft or free agency next year.

Right now teams are breathing just a bit easier because the reduction is minimal. They can't be sure about what will happen in 2021, but they are in hopes that a vaccine has been found and Covid-19 is a thing of the past. If attendance and revenues recover in 2921, the cap could be reset to 2020 in 2022 and then increased substantially in 2023.

 

[SteelersPride]

this could be a big issue. Suprised there is not much chatter about it

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

this could be a big issue. Suprised there is not much chatter about it

So the Eagles are around 71mil over the cap heading into 2021. Yikes

 

[Schmoopy1000]

So the Eagles are around 71mil over the cap heading into 2021. Yikes

dont worry. they are the greatest at the Cap.
They will just put it on their 2022 credit card & no! It isnt kicking the can down the road, dont be dumb!

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

dont worry. they are the greatest at the Cap.
They will just put it on their 2022 credit card & no! It isnt kicking the can down the road, dont be dumb!

Kicking the can down the road came to a crashing stop.

 

[jarntt]

 

[Battlelyon]

More money for the Rams, you guys can relax now.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Pure Steel]

I’d like to see what Jackie Moon could do with that bankroll......

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

So the new TV deal doesn't go on the books for this year... Rough.

 

[ducky]

....and this is the negotiated cap. Had it just been off the CBA numbers and not this negotiated number, the cap would have dropped to about $160m. In other words they are stealing about $25M per team from future years cap numbers to get to this point.

But think about that. The NFL would have had a cap of $5.120B.....with almost no fan attendance. So their revenue with hardly any fans was still in the $10B a year range. Crazy.

I'm still surprised that the NFLPA didnt push for a smoother cap and steal more from future years. Really screws current vet players.

I am still interested to see how the hell teams like Phili and New Orleans gets under the cap. This is basically '08' -'09 real estate territory. The bubble has burst and those 2 are the Bear Sterns and Lehman Brothers of the NFL world.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Still 18-20 teams that are in good shape right now.

2021 NFL Team Salary Cap Tracker

A real-time look at the 2021 salary cap totals for each NFL team, including estimated cap space.

www.spotrac.com

 

[Cincyfan78]

Still 18-20 teams that are in good shape right now.

2021 NFL Team Salary Cap Tracker

A real-time look at the 2021 salary cap totals for each NFL team, including estimated cap space.

www.spotrac.com

Bengals won't jump into that top 3 spot, but they can easily shed another $10MM in cuts (Hart for example). I really expect them to make a serious run at Thuney and look to take a tackle in the draft. Either Sewell if he's there at 5, or Cosi/Leatherwood in round 2.

Also wouldn't be surprised to see them try and make a run at multiple OL - maybe a top tier in Thuney and then a "next" tier at OG/OT/C and still look to draft 1 or 2 OL early. Good draft for OL in rounds 1-3.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Bengals won't jump into that top 3 spot, but they can easily shed another $10MM in cuts (Hart for example). I really expect them to make a serious run at Thuney and look to take a tackle in the draft. Either Sewell if he's there at 5, or Cosi/Leatherwood in round 2.

Also wouldn't be surprised to see them try and make a run at multiple OL - maybe a top tier in Thuney and then a "next" tier at OG/OT/C and still look to draft 1 or 2 OL early. Good draft for OL in rounds 1-3.

Cosmi shouldn't last to the 2nd, but maybe Leatherwood. It is a deep class so maybe teams wait on OT. The IOL class is a lot weaker.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Cosmi shouldn't last to the 2nd, but maybe Leatherwood. It is a deep class so maybe teams wait on OT. The IOL class is a lot weaker.

Yeah, I've seen him go back-end of the 1st and early 2nd. I think it just depends on the kind of "run" that happens at the back half of the 1st round.

I really like James Hudson out of Cincinnati. Granted, I'll admit to some bias since I am a huge UC fan - but the kid can flat out play LT. He needs to gain about 10lbs to help with his "anchor" a bit more at the NFL level, but he's just scratching the surface of how good he can be. His ability to move his feet and slide laterally is, IMO, elite. He has shorter arms (33", cut off for a lot of teams looking for OT is 34") - but because of his ability to absorb and redirect rushers, and use his footwork, this never really causes an issue.

Would be a great 3rd round guy to stash and look at LT and/or OG depending on the scheme. He's have to put on a bit more weight at OG than at OT (probably another 15lbs or so), but in a zone blocking scheme, his ability to get out, move, and make blocks at the 2nd level would put him at a really high end OG, IMO. LT might take another year, or two, to really get him into that space - but I think he would end up being a very good LT as well. The kind of guy you can have that can swing inside/out that makes a really good addition at depth for the first few years on a team.

Anyway - with the cap space, it's going to be really interesting to see how teams end up having to restructure (NO/PHI) and teams with cap space, it will be interesting to see how they structure those deals. If you have enough space this year, it almost makes some sense to try and pay as much out now knowing that the cap will go up with the new TV deal. While some teams will rely on that and spread out their cap hit, teams that are in that top 4-5 range right now in space, could, theoretically pay more now - and reap the benefit of having even more cap space in a few years once it bounces back up. Going to be important for teams like Cleveland and Baltimore who will be facing contract extension with their QB's, and each will get a hefty raise.

 

[Clayton]

Cosmi shouldn't last to the 2nd, but maybe Leatherwood. It is a deep class so maybe teams wait on OT. The IOL class is a lot weaker.

I think about half of these 2nd tier OTs should probably end up at Guard, tbh, and as such it could end up being a strong IOL class. Also a decent 'developmental' OT class but I'm not sure which teams have that much security with their GM, Coach and QB to develop OTs.


As far as Free Agency, I think we are going to see a lot of under-priced veterans on one year deals. I think there is a high probability that a mid tier team is going to go all Florida Marlins and be a top tier team next year.

 

[Tapey]

More money for the Rams, you guys can relax now.

Oh thank god

 

[molsaniceman]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwIDPucXcAExcGq?format=jpg&name=small

franchise tags

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Yeah, I've seen him go back-end of the 1st and early 2nd. I think it just depends on the kind of "run" that happens at the back half of the 1st round.

I really like James Hudson out of Cincinnati. Granted, I'll admit to some bias since I am a huge UC fan - but the kid can flat out play LT. He needs to gain about 10lbs to help with his "anchor" a bit more at the NFL level, but he's just scratching the surface of how good he can be. His ability to move his feet and slide laterally is, IMO, elite. He has shorter arms (33", cut off for a lot of teams looking for OT is 34") - but because of his ability to absorb and redirect rushers, and use his footwork, this never really causes an issue.

Would be a great 3rd round guy to stash and look at LT and/or OG depending on the scheme. He's have to put on a bit more weight at OG than at OT (probably another 15lbs or so), but in a zone blocking scheme, his ability to get out, move, and make blocks at the 2nd level would put him at a really high end OG, IMO. LT might take another year, or two, to really get him into that space - but I think he would end up being a very good LT as well. The kind of guy you can have that can swing inside/out that makes a really good addition at depth for the first few years on a team.

Anyway - with the cap space, it's going to be really interesting to see how teams end up having to restructure (NO/PHI) and teams with cap space, it will be interesting to see how they structure those deals. If you have enough space this year, it almost makes some sense to try and pay as much out now knowing that the cap will go up with the new TV deal. While some teams will rely on that and spread out their cap hit, teams that are in that top 4-5 range right now in space, could, theoretically pay more now - and reap the benefit of having even more cap space in a few years once it bounces back up. Going to be important for teams like Cleveland and Baltimore who will be facing contract extension with their QB's, and each will get a hefty raise.

Good stuff. Yes the back half of the 1st Rd is a tossup right now. A lot of teams looking BPA, but there are a handful that made the playoffs with severe OL issues (SEA, PIT, KC, etc). But also mid-tier teams like LAC, DAL, LV, DEN, MIA, etc. I'm sure there will be a good run in the 2nd too given that the Giants, Bengals, & Jets are up there and need to revamp their OL as well. Day 2 of the draft will be dominated by OL.

Hudson... Will have to look into this kid. I've never been bothered by undersized OTs. Kelvin Beachum changed my mind about the "mold" of an OT. Dude was short & stalky but handled the LT job like a pro-bowler, and still does many years later. Honestly hoping the Steelers make a run at Beach this month since he's a UFA. 32 years old but coming off a season where he pretty much started the entire season and only allowed 3 sacks all year. Durable & reliable. As Clayton said, there could be a lot of OTs that get drafted and then moved inside making the IOL class that much stronger.

Cap space... Indeed. There's about 5-8 teams in cap hell right now, but theres around 18 teams that are in good cap room to explore FA. Steelers certainly far exceeded my expectations so far with getting their +$20m surplus down to now having $6m in cap room. They would need to restructure Joe Haden or Steve Nelson to get enough to make some splashes in FA. The FA list this offseason features a ton of talent, which is very bad timing. And yea it does make sense to pay now with the TV deal on the horizon. Steelers are hoping to sign TJ Watt soon, which is going to be a crazy contract. Going to be interesting to see what Baker & Lamar get. I think they've both shown enough to earn a top end contract, but they've also shown enough red flags to make it a very concerning contract deal.