Tag: 2021 NFL salary cap

8 cuts that would give the Ravens’ salary cap the biggest boost

The Baltimore Ravens don’t have much in the way of available salary-cap space. If they’re desperate, they could look to cut a few players.

Like the rest of the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens are a little light on the wallet. Thanks to the 2021 salary cap being expected to go down for the first time in over a decade, the Ravens will have far less salary-cap space than they originally envisioned. Though Baltimore has more than about half the league, they could be looking to free up some more money this offseason.

There are a few ways the Ravens could create more cap space. They could use extensions to lower the 2021 cap hit of some players. Restructuring is always an option as well, though that tends to create more cap issues in later years. However, there’s always the pink slip option, jettisoning a player who just isn’t worth their current cap hit and has limited dead money still attached to their deal.

Today, we’re going to look at the straight-up cuts to see which players would return the most money to the Ravens’ salary cap.

*Note: I’m not saying any of these players should or will get cut. These are just the ones that have the biggest savings

Touchdown Wire’s Top 101 free agents for the 2021 season

From Dak Prescott to Justin Simmons to Allen Robinson to Richard Sherman, the 2021 NFL free agent class is filled with stars.

The 2021 NFL free-agency period, which officially begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on March 17, promises to be like few others in the league’s history. Due to projected revenue shortfalls in the age of COVID, the league has anticipated that the 2021 salary cap will be somewhere between $180 million and $185 million per team. That’s down from $198.2 million in the 2020 league year, which obviously puts several teams in a major pinch. Right now, per OverTheCap.com, there are 13 NFL teams over a projected salary cap of $180.5 million, and teams like the Saints ($69,500,461 over) Eagles ($43,189,668 over), Rams ($33,986,331 over), Steelers ($26,131,664 over), and Chiefs ($23,132,376 over) will have to engage in some highly creative accounting just to get into compliance — forget about making any big splashes.

On the other hand, we have teams like the Jaguars ($77,552,150 under the cap), Jets ($67,948,314 under), Patriots ($62,211,837 under), Colts ($43,635,239 under), and Washington ($38,277,074 under). The radical disparity between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to the capacity to spend in free agency could lead to an unusually constricted market, especially for those players who are more rank-and-file than sheer superstar. Not that those players won’t have offers; but those offers might not be what they may have been in previous years. It’s not the fault of the players; it’s simply how the market lands in this particular time. This could result in a lot of free agents taking one-year contracts and shining it on until new television deals and the hope of a more “normal” world make things more equitable in the 2022 league year.

So, let’s talk about free-agent value, at least how we see it at Touchdown Wire. Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield have compiled their list of the top 101 players who should be available as unrestricted free agents, barring any franchise tag designations. That can happen starting March 9, and it’ll probably take the top player on our list (and everybody else’s), but in the case of Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, you just never know.

As to our player list, Mark assembled the offensive players, Doug put together the defensive list, and they then compiled the top 101 players, regardless of position.

Here, without further ado, is Touchdown Wire’s Top 101 free agents for the 2021 season.

NFL raises 2021 salary cap floor; what it means for Titans

How much will the Titans have in cap space at the new floor?

The NFL has sent a memo to teams notifying them that the 2021 salary cap floor has been raised from the original mark of $175 million to $180 million.

Of course, the reduction in the salary cap is a result of lost revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 salary cap stood at $198.2 million, so there stands to be a significant decrease for the coming campaign.

Earlier this month, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the belief is the final salary cap figure is set to be somewhere between $180 to $181 million, and noted the decision will be coming down next month.

What it means for the Tennessee Titans

According to Over the Cap, the Titans would be $2.1 million over the salary cap if the final number rests at $180.5 million. Obviously that still isn’t great, but it could have been worse if the cap landed at the original floor.

With big needs to address on both sides of the ball in free agency, general manager Jon Robinson will have to work some magic with cuts and quite possibly restructures in order to free up cap space to get the job done.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Robinson said the Titans have looked at different models for what could happen, so the team seems to be preparing for anything.

Our own John Lowell listed seven players who could get the axe this offseason to free up money. You can check that article out below.

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Philadelphia Eagles get some good news in regards to 2021 salary cap

The Eagles could be some $50 million over the cap in 2021 after Adam Schefter reported the salary cap will be $181 million instead of $175 million

As the Eagles work to get under the salary cap for the 2021 NFL season, Adam Schefter provided some insight into what the actual cap number could be.

With the COVID-19 pandemic taking fans out of NFL stadiums, it was assumed that the salary cap would be around $175 million in 2021.

The Eagles were already some $70 million over the cap before rolling over $22 million and according to Field Yates, the extra $5 million should put Philadelphia at about $45 million over the cap after the Super Bowl.

The Eagles could save $1 million on the cap after trading Carson Wentz and they could also acquire space by trading or releasing Alshon Jeffery, Malik Jackson, DeSean Jackson, and others.

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Report: Some teams believe 2021 salary cap could be higher than originally expected

The league is still trying to figure out what the 2021 NFL salary cap will look like but some teams believe it’ll be higher than expected

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown this offseason into a tizzy of uncertainty. The 2021 salary cap is at the top of the list of things teams still don’t know, though the offseason is underway. With limited fans in attendance last season due to COVID-19, it’s expected the NFL has taken quite a hit in revenue, which will ultimately see the 2021 salary cap take a hit along with it. However, not all hope is lost apparently.

The NFL and NFLPA had set a salary cap floor of $175 million this summer in preparation for the first drop in over a decade. But, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, several teams believe the 2021 salary cap could be around $185 million, if not a little higher. That would still be a drop from the $198.2 salary cap set for 2020 but it would give plenty of teams a little more breathing room.

Among the teams needing some extra cap space are the Baltimore Ravens, who are one of just a handful of teams starting the offseason without a negative balance. According to Over The Cap, 15 teams are currently set to be in the negative if the salary cap is set at $176 million. Baltimore, while in better shape than 21 other teams, aren’t exactly flush with cap space either. At a $176 million salary cap projection, the Ravens would have just $15.7 million to spend, while a $185 million salary cap would give them $24.7 million in available space.

Regardless of the projection, that’s still not a ton of cap space to use on re-signing their own players, acquiring new free agents, and signing their draft picks. Baltimore has two of the top free agents set to hit the market in Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon, and they’ll need to either re-sign one of them or acquire a similarly priced pass rusher in free agency. In addition, the Ravens desperately need to give quarterback Lamar Jackson more weapons around him, and shoring up a decent but inconsistent offensive line is a priority as well. While even $15.7 million sounds like a ridiculous amount of money, it can be gone in an instant if general manager Eric DeCosta isn’t smart and frugal this offseason.

We’ll just have to wait until the NFL announces the 2021 salary cap to really know where the Ravens stand this offseason. And according to Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt via Pelissero, that might not happen until hours before the league year begins on March 17.

It’s shaping up to be an interesting and tense offseason, and it all starts with the salary cap.

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Eagles among teams with the highest salary-cap rollover into 2021 offseason

Eagles carry over $22 million of unspent cap space into 2021

Howie Roseman has his work cut out for him this offseason from a salary cap standpoint, but the Eagles’ salary cap woes aren’t the worst in the NFL.

The 2021 salary cap amount has yet to be officially decided as the NFL and the NFLPA work through the losses suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic that limited fans’ attendance at games.

The floor for the 2021 salary cap was set at $175 million, but it could land at around $195 million after it was $198 million in 2020 and was projected to be $210 million in 2021.

With the NFL adding a 17th regular-season game for all 32 clubs in 2021, the cap could rise even further.

ESPN’s Field Yates took a look at what NFL teams rolled over in cap room and the Eagles saved almost $23 million to add to the estimated $70 million that they’ll be over the cap when the new league year begins.

Even with the coaching search and Carson Wentz’s future in Philadelphia hanging over the organization, there will be looming roster decisions to be made to help the Eagles get back to some semblance of fiscal comfort.

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Ravens have lowest salary-cap rollover into 2021

The Baltimore Ravens have made the most of their funds, rolling over less than $600K to their 2021 salary cap.

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Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has his work cut out for him this offseason. The salary cap is expected to actually decrease for the first time in over a decade. DeCosta and the Ravens won’t get much help by rolling over their remaining 2020 salary cap space either.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Baltimore will roll over just $586,822. While that seems like a lot of money, it’s actually the lowest total of all 32 teams. By comparison, the Cleveland Browns will roll over the most money, getting more than $30 million added to their 2021 salary cap total.

With the coronavirus pandemic limiting revenue this season, as stadiums were held empty or to a severely limited capacity, the salary cap will be directly impacted. It’s unclear where the NFL will eventually set the 2021 salary cap but it’s expected to be around $175 million, which would be a drop of more than $23 million. If that does indeed happen, roughly a dozen teams will have negative cap space heading into the offseason, according to Over The Cap.

The Ravens are currently projected to have $29.79 million in available cap space, per Over The Cap. But that’s also before the team’s 12 futures contracts and restricted free agent tenders are taken into account. As Brian McFarland of Russell Street Report figured out, Baltimore will likely only have around $10 million by the time they get to free agency, barring players getting cut or restructured.

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