Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be factors that impact the league beyond just the 2020 season. This includes the salary cap for 2021, which is expected to be reduced greatly. The Indianapolis Colts appear to be in the best situation for this change.
While the league has been increasing the salary cap every year pretty steadily, the pandemic is expected to force the salary cap to drop down to $175 million, which would be roughly $20 million less than it was in 2020.
But the Colts don’t seem to have to worry all that much about being strapped for cash. Per Over The Cap, the Colts are expected to lead the league in salary cap space with $91 million to work with.
Teams with the most cap room in 2021 (includes current cap cap carryover from 2020) based on a $175M salary cap
1. Colts- $91M
2. Patriots- $70M
3. Jaguars- $64M
4. Jets- $62M
5. FT- $55M
6. Bengals- $41M
7. Chargers- $39M
8. Browns- $34M
9. Dolphins- $31M
10. Ravens- $31M— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) August 9, 2020
The Colts are spending the most money in the NFL on the quarterback position, but most of that money goes away after the 2020 season. The contract of Jacoby Brissett officially comes off the books while Philip Rivers signed a one-year deal.
This may not be the official figure for the 2021 offseason. The cap number could change between the start of the season and free agency, and the Colts could be in line to deal out some extensions.
Those who come to mind include center Ryan Kelly, left guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard as players who are coming up on contract extensions.
Regardless, the Colts are in a strong situation when it comes to the salary cap even if it is decreased substantially.