NFL Salary Cap Expected to be Higher Than Expected in 2021

CINCINNATI — The NFL's salary cap has yet to be determined for the 2021 season, but things appear to be trending in the right direction according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The NFL and the Players Association have already started negotiating the salary cap for next season. People around the NFL believe the cap could be higher than expected.

"Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told reporters this week the final number may not be set until 'hours before the start of the league year' [on] March 17," Pelissero wrote. "Some team officials believe (and surely hope) the cap will ultimately land closer to $185 million per club—if not a little higher—than the $175 million minimum the sides agreed to last summer as they braced for empty and mostly empty stadiums."

A $185 million salary cap would give the Bengals a realistic shot at having $60 million or more in available space by the time free agency opens on March 17. Unfortunately they may not know exactly what the salary cap is going to be until a day or two beforehand, but this could give them an edge in their pursuit of top free agent offensive linemen.

Teams can start negotiating with free agents on March 15. Knowing exactly what the 2021 salary cap is going to be could impact the future of veterans across the league—and not just free agents, but potential cap casualties.

This is good news for the entire league. Most teams are going to be forced to make major moves to get under the cap. Another $5-10 million in space will make things a bit easier on the organizations that are dealing with cap issues.

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