The 2021 salary cap floor for the NFL has been increased from $175 million to $180 million. The league announced these changes in a memo to teams, according to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafalo.
This is the full memo the league sent out.
“As you know, one aspect of the agreements negotiated last summer with the NFLPA to address operations during the pandemic provides that the 2021 Salary Cap will be no less than $175 million. Following discussions with the union that addressed both actual 2020 revenues and projected attendance for the 2021 season, we have agreed to increase the minimum Salary cap for the 2021 League Year to $180 million.
“This is not the final Salary Cap for the 2021 League Year, which will be set following review of final 2020 revenue figures and other audit and accounting adjustments. This agreement simply increases the minimum 2021 Salary Cap by $5 million per club, from $175 million to $180 million.
“We will promptly advise all clubs as soon as the Salary Cap is set.”
In previous years, the cap has increased at drastic rates each season, sometimes by tens of millions of dollars. But as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the floor was set to fall tremendously from the $198.2 million it was set at last offseason, with the NFL and NFLPA agreeing on a $175 million floor. That number has now been renegotiated.
With the slight boost, teams struggling with cap space will have a little bit more breathing room. The Jaguars are not one of those teams, with the most cap space in the NFL at over $77.5 million. The slight increase should only encourage them to be even bigger buyers on the market this offseason.