Here’s some good news: the NFL issued a memo to teams on Thursday notifying them that the 2021 salary cap will be no lower than $180 million, following talks with the players union and continued audits of 2020 revenue. This was an expected update following earlier reports, but it’s still good to see some optimism ahead of free agency.
Previously, the NFL and the players union had agreed that this year’s salary cap would be no lower than $175 million in light of financial losses during the coronavirus pandemic, which limited stadium attendance throughout the 2020 season. The league office still has plenty of math to work out before a final salary cap figure will be established, but the $5 million bump suggests things are trending in a positive direction.
Any rise to the salary cap is great for the New Orleans Saints, who would be $72.3 million over that $180 million figure after a few recent roster moves. There’s plenty of work to be done as the Saints reach cap compliance, but they can’t really put together a plan of action until they know what number they’re chasing, as Saints general manager Mickey Loomis recently pointed out.
So when will we know what the final salary cap figure is for 2021? League ownership doesn’t know, with some team executives speculating that it might not come out until the start of free agency in March. The calculations are dependent on new revenue streams from ongoing broadcasting contract talks and projected attendance numbers for the upcoming season, both of which are tough to estimate.
Still, you have to think this won’t be an eleventh hour decision from the NFL’s New York office. Hopefully they can nail this down soon so the Saints can start their offseason in earnest.
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