The 2018 NFL salary cap is expected to be set between $$174.2MM and $178.1MM, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Given that the cap was $167MM for the 2017 season, the 2018 projected figure would represent an increase of roughly four to six percent.
The salary cap will continue the incredible upward trajectory it has been on since 2013. Here’s what the league’s salary cap has looked like over the last few years:
- 2013: $123MM
- 2014: $133MM
- 2015: $143.28MM
- 2016: $155.27MM
- 2017: $167MM
The NFL’s management council will submit their first 2018 cap projections to the league’s owners during meetings this week, and the league will then announce the final cap number early next year, typically in February or March before the new league year opens. The salary cap, of course, affects not only teams’ roster moves for the entire season, but the figures used in franchise/transition tag calculations.
Using a projected salary cap of $178MM (the high end of the NFL’s range), Over the Cap recently posted estimates for franchise, transition, and restricted free agent tender amounts, figures that won’t be precisely determined until the NFL formally announces the 2018 cap.