With a new collective bargaining agreement lurking in the shadows, the finances of the NFL landscape is prepared to take to the main stage as free agency is also less than three weeks away. That’s especially true in Dallas where the Cowboys find themselves with three of the best players scheduled to hit the open market. The combination of quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver Amari Cooper and cornerback Byron Jones cost the Cowboys just over $22 million in cap space last year, which included the pricey fifth-year option for Cooper.
That total number is far less than what just Prescott alone will cost going forward. But it’s not all bad news, as the salary cap is scheduled to jump nearly $12 million in 2020, reaching $200 million. With that number, the Cowboys are expected to have $77 million in space after including projected rollover from unused 2019 space.
Negotiations are ongoing, but the NFL and NFLPA are projecting a salary cap of roughly $200 million per club for 2020. If new CBA is ratified, revenue would increase from expanded playoffs, which could cause the cap to rise somewhat. Bigger jumps expected in 2021 and beyond.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 28, 2020
This matches the previous projected range, from $197 million to $202 million, from December.
The cap was at $188.2 million in 2019, so this is yet another year when it has increased by at least $10 million a season.
This isn’t set in stone, but past reports have been accurate in projecting the salary cap in advance of the actual announcement from the league. The other variable is the timing of ratification of the new CBA. If the NFL and NFLPA are able to come to an agreement, that salary cap number could jump as an extra playoff game will add more money to the pot.
The last sentence of that report is probably the most telling of all.
When Prescott turned down the Cowboys’ offer last off-season, he wasn’t solely betting on himself, it’s clear that his representation knew that the jump in salary cap would likely grow larger with a new deal between the league and union.
[vertical-gallery id=640098][vertical-gallery id=639104][lawrence-newsletter]