Tag: 2021 NFL salary cap

How much the Bills are spending on each position so far in 2021

One position sees the #Bills spending less than any team in the NFL while another is in the top-three… full position-by-position of BUF’s salary cap usage here:

The Buffalo Bills haven’t made the biggest headlines this offseason. Usually such teams doing so are the ones making big additions to their roster.

Thankfully though, the Bills and their locker room were not in need of many changes. It’s already a good core.

Still, keeping this group together is of the upmost importance and doesn’t come cheap. Buffalo spent to keep key pieces in place… but in doing so, how much has the team’s spending distribution changed?

Here’s a rundown of how much the Bills are currently spending on each position on their roster via Sportac:

Vikings 2021 salary cap update

Despite singing CB Bashaud Breeland, the Minnesota Vikings still have some 2021 salary cap space to work with.

The Vikings signed a cornerback recently, but judging by the team’s cap space, they might not be done there.

Minnesota has just under $12 million in 2021 salary cap space after the Bashaud Breeland signing, per Over the Cap.

With Breeland’s deal on the books, the Vikings still have enough cap space to sign a free agent. Or maybe the team needs to extend some players, like Harrison Smith or Danielle Hunter.

Minnesota entered into the offseason with seemingly little cap space. However, the team released Kyle Rudolph, Dan Bailey and other veterans in order to free up space. The Vikings then had enough to maneuver through free agency.

Well, the NFL Draft is over. The team still has some offseason needs. And it has the cap space to do something. We will update you if anything comes to fruition.

How much money do the Vikings need to sign all their draft picks?

What do the Minnesota Vikings have to work with to sign all its 2021 NFL draft picks for the NFL season?

The Vikings are a team that loves to accumulate draft picks and this year was no different. Minnesota drafted 11 players in the 2021 NFL draft.

At the start of the offseason, the Vikings were over the salary cap, until the team released some veterans in order to maneuver in free agency. Now that the team has 11 draftees coming in — not to mention the undrafted free agents the team plans to sign — where does that leave it for cap space?

Well, according to Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, Minnesota will need $2.77 million of cap space to sign all of its draft picks (H/T Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press).

That leaves the Vikings with $4.83 million in 2021 salary cap space. However, Kyle Rudolph’s post-June 1 designation has yet to hit the cap, which should amount to a little under $8 million in additional savings.

All that is to say: Minnesota does not have a ton of cap space to work with outside of signing rookies, but it does have some. The team may have enough for a bargain signing or two on cheap deals in the future.

Where do the Vikings rank in terms of 2021 salary cap space?

The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a lot of 2021 salary cap, but the team has some to work with.

The Vikings entered into the 2021 offseason with seemingly little cap space to work with. But Minnesota cut key veterans, which gave them room to maneuver in free agency.

Now, the Vikings don’t have a lot of cap space to sign a big-ticket free agent, but the team has some space at the moment. According to Over the Cap, the team has a little under $7.5 million in 2021 salary cap space.

Where does that rank them among other NFL teams? As it stands, the Vikings are No. 21 in the NFL for cap space, per Over the Cap.

Keep in mind, Minnesota has a post-June 1 designation on Kyle Rudolph, meaning the cap savings from his release will not be counted on the 2021 salary cap until after June 1.

Right now, the Vikings likely have enough cap space to sign rookies, when you consider the cap savings from Rudolph’s cut. But after that, it’s hard to see how the team could make any big splashes.

Vikings’ salary cap after making more moves in free agency

Here is the Minnesota Vikings’ 2021 salary cap space after the team made more moves in 2021 free agency.

Earlier this offseason, Minnesota appeared to be right up against the 2021 base salary cap, but that didn’t stop the team from maneuvering throughout free agency.

The Vikings released LT Riley Reiff, TE Kyle Rudolph and K Dan Bailey. Then, the team made some big splashes, signing DT Dalvin Tomlinson and CB Patrick Peterson. Minnesota also signed Xavier Woods, a safety who could ostensibly be a starter in 2021.

So where does that leave the Vikings in terms of salary cap space? After the team agreed to terms with Mackensie Alexander and Woods, Minnesota was left with $7.4 million in 2021, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. That cap number also has Nick Vigil’s contract added in, per Tomasson.

Keep in mind, Rudolph was given a post-June 1 designation, meaning his cap savings will not be garnered until then. I wouldn’t expect any more major moves in free agency, but with this team, you never know.

Minnesota Vikings’ current salary cap space

See the Minnesota Vikings’ 2021 salary cap as of now! What other moves should the team make to free up space?

When the base salary cap was first announced, the Vikings were not in a great place to make many moves. Now, though, things have changed.

Minnesota released tight end Kyle Rudolph, left tackle Riley Reiff, kicker Dan Bailey and cornerbacks Tae Hayes and Cordrea Tankersley. The Vikings also restructured with punter/holder Britton Colquitt. All those moves helped the team free up some cap space.

Minnesota currently has a little more than $10.1 million in cap space for 2021, according to Over The Cap. As of now, Minnesota would have to spend a lot of that money on rookie contracts for draft picks, with little else to allocate to free agency.

That means the Vikings will likely have to make more moves in order to free up space. Defensive tackle Shamar Stephen and linebacker Anthony Barr are two players who could restructure. There’s also a possibility that those two end up being cap casualties if restructuring isn’t an option.

Lamar Jackson’s 5th year option will cost Ravens small fortune

With a price tag of over $23 million, QB Lamar Jackson’s 5th-year option will be pretty expensive for the Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been outstanding since taking over in the middle of the 2018 season. Unfortunately, he’s nearing the end of his rookie deal and with it, the end of his affordable salary. With the 2021 NFL salary cap finally set, we now know what Jackson’s fifth-year option will run Baltimore.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, teams will have until May 3 to exercise the fifth-year option on first-round picks. For Jackson, who was selected with the final pick in the first round, his fifth-year option will cost $23.016 million against Baltimore’s 2022 salary cap. As of right now, that would make Jackson the 18th highest-paid quarterback in the league, just behind Tom Brady.

Part of the reason for the high price tag is the expense of the position to begin with. Quarterback is the highest-paid position on the field, without question. Add to it Jackson’s single Pro Bowl nod and it boosts his fifth-year option value pretty significantly. Had he not been named to any Pro Bowls, Jackson’s fifth-year option would have run the Ravens just $18.858 million — a difference of $4.158 million.

While that’s a significant cost, it’ll likely pale in comparison to the deal Jackson eventually signs with Baltimore. Recent deals for Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, and Dak Prescott have all averaged around $40 million a year, according to Over The Cap. Whether you believe Jackson is at the level of those three players or not, franchise quarterback deals tend to either reset the market or be among the very top of it regardless of their stats. And considering Jackson’s resume thus far it’s easy to see how he could command that type of contract as well.

Jackson is 30-7 throughout the regular season, guiding the Ravens to three trips to the playoffs in three years. He’s shattered records along the way, most notably Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks. With a league-leading 36 touchdown passes to go with his rushing record in 2019, Jackson won the NFL’s MVP award. Even last season, a down year for Jackson respectively, he still posted the third-best touchdown percentage in the league while also picking up his first playoff win.

If the fifth-year option is a little too rich for Baltimore’s wallet, they could always ink him to a long-term contract extension before then. As noted earlier, that will carry a much larger price tag but it would also give the Ravens the ability to structure the deal in a way that could lower his 2022 cap hit if needed.

This might not be the end of Baltimore’s Super Bowl window but it definitely puts a lot more pressure on the Ravens to build a championship-caliber team around him this offseason to take advantage of his lower cap hit. If Baltimore felt it was up against the cap in previous seasons, it’s only going to get worse when they have to pay one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks his true value.

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Jets rank second in cap space after NFL sets salary cap at $182.5M for 2021

The NFL set the salary cap number for the 2021 season at $182.5 million, down 8 percent from last year.

The NFL has officially set the salary cap number for the 2021 season.

According to multiple reports, NFL teams were informed by the league on Wednesday that the salary cap number is $182.5 million this year. It is down 8 percent from last season when it was $198.2 million.

This year’s salary cap would have dropped to $155 million had all the COVID-19 related losses been accounted for this past season, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano. However, the NFLPA and the league negotiated last summer that the cap wouldn’t drop below $175 million.

The Jets are in a terrific spot in terms of available cap space heading into free agency next week. Including the Henry Anderson cut and Marcus Maye’s $10.612 million franchise tag, they’ll have $69.3 million to spend this offseason, according to Over The Cap. That is the second-most in the league, only behind the Jaguars, who have $73.8 million in cap space.

New York could create more room with some additional cuts. Alex Lewis, Greg Van Roten, Ryan Griffin and possibly Jamison Crowder are all candidates to be cap casualties.

With the Jets being one of the few teams with money to spend, they can be aggressive in free agency. They have holes across the board, but most notably on the offensive line, at wide receiver and edge rusher.

Free agency begins once the new league year opens at 4 p.m. ET on March 17.

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NFL confirms salary cap of $182.5M for 2021 season, Eagles ranked 30th in cap space

The Eagles will have a salary cap limit of $182.5 million for the 2021 NFL Season after the league announced the numbers.

The numbers are in and now teams around the NFL know how much cap space they’ll have to work with after the league announced a $182.5 million cap for 2021, down almost $14 million from 2020.

Prior to the pandemic, the salary cap had risen at least $10 million per season and the loss of income comes at a horrible time, as the Eagles will enter the new league year some $30 million in the red per Over The Cap. 

The Eagles cap will be about $205 million after the team carried over $24 million in cap space from the 2020 season.

In the division, The Washington Football has the most cap space with just under $38 million (No. 6 overall), the Cowboys have less than a million in space and New York is $9 million over the cap.

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5 players the Ravens could restructure to create more cap space

If the Baltimore Ravens need to free up some more cap space immediately, they could restructure a few contracts. Let’s take a look at who.

The Baltimore Ravens are about to enter free agency with a limited amount of cap space. While the Ravens could choose to be frugal over the coming months, Baltimore could as easily wish to make a blockbuster signing or two in an effort to better compete for a championship. But in order to do that, they’ll need to create a little extra cap space this offseason.

Though we’ve already looked at the players who would represent the biggest cap gains if cut, none are terribly likely to happen. Don’t fear, there are other options available to the Ravens, including contract restructures.

The most common type of restructuring we see in the NFL is a team converting a player’s higher base salary into a signing bonus that can be spread over a few years. For players with a few more years left on their contracts and bigger 2021 cap hits, it’s an effective way of creating immediate savings. However, it does carry some risk as it increases that player’s dead money in future years, at times ensuring the player is uncuttable.

Baltimore hasn’t often restructured contracts because it effectively exchanges current cap space for future cap space, kicking the can down the line and creating problems later in a deal. But with the salary cap expected to take a big hit due to the loss of revenue from the coronavirus pandemic, the Ravens don’t have many other choices if they need a quick infusion of money.

Let’s take a look at the few players Baltimore could ask to restructure their deals this offseason and exactly what type of cap savings the Ravens could get.