The National Football League and NFL Players Association reached an agreement this week to set the salary-cap ceiling at $208.2 million for the 2022 season.
The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to a $208.2 million salary cap ceiling for 2022, per source.
There is no cap floor as of now. The sides agreed last August to spread the COVID-related revenue shortfall from 2020 over several years, and the cap dropped to $182.5M this year.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 26, 2021
The final number could be lowered depending on how COVID-19 impacts the upcoming 2021 season. However, many teams have already said they expect stadiums to allow full capacity in the fall.
With the maximum set at $208.2 million, the two sides have yet to agree to a minimum figure for 2022.
This is good news for players and teams as the salary cap for 2021 went down to $182.5 million due to COVID-19-related revenue shortfalls.
How will this impact the Washington Football Team? Unlike some of its division rivals, Washington has massive amounts of cap space in 2022. So, players like Brandon Scherff, Jonathan Allen, Ryan Fitzpatrick are just some of the players who will come off the books. Washington, of course, would like to get a long-term deal done with Allen long before then.
The time to agree to a long-term deal with Scherff feels like it has passed.
According to Spotrac, Washington has $60 million in salary-cap space for 2022. But, of course, long-term extensions for Allen, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, tight end Logan Thomas and defensive tackle Daron Payne could also impact those numbers.
Instead of Washington spending big in free agency in 2022, retaining its young core is the most likely option for the WFT. Washington could also take a big swing at one of the top veteran quarterbacks in 2022.
Either way, Washington is in an outstanding position moving forward.