Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Salary-cap bump
By Tom Carpenter
Every single move made by every NFL team this offseason -- whether it's cutting a player, signing a free agent or drafting a rookie -- has one thing in common: the salary cap. Some teams are worse off than others, but each team must factor their finances into each decision, so all of them should be glad to hear that the salary cap may be a bit higher than initially expected, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.
"A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the team-by-team spending limit will exceed $122 million in 2013," he wrote. "While a move to $122 million represents an increase of only $1.4 million per team, every dollar helps, given the number of teams in cap trouble."
While teams like the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, which are well over the cap, will benefit from this news, so, too, will teams that are just over the cap, because they will gain a little more flexibility without having to make a roster move.
There is also a flip side to an increased salary cap under the new CBA, as teams can't be too far under the salary cap.
"An increase in the unadjusted cap also increases the per-team minimum spending requirement, which commences this year," added Florio. "On a four-year rolling average, teams must spend in cash 89 percent of the annual unadjusted cap."
