Salary Cap

Cameron Jordan Plans To Play In 2025

December 27th, 2024 at 4:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is planning to return for his 15th NFL season in 2025, per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football.

Jordan has one year remaining on his current deal with the Saints, but the team is already almost $64MM over the NFL’s projected 2025 salary cap, per OverTheCap. A release with a post-June 1 designation would save the Saints $11MM of salary cap space next year, though the team would have to absorb almost $24MM in dead cap hits across 2025 and 2026.

This isn’t the first time Jordan has faced a potential end to his time in New Orleans. He’s become accustomed to treating the team’s final home game each year as if it could be his last in the Superdome, according to Triplett.

If the Saints do part ways with Jordan, he will face a complicated free agency market this offseason. To start, he’s 35 years old with just five sacks in the last two years after 11 straight seasons with at least 7.5. Jordan has yet to miss a game in his career, but his snap share has steadily dropped since he turned 30, reaching a career-low 47% this year.

The 14th-year defensive end would likely need to take a pay cut from his current $13.25MM per-year average, though with over $125MM in career earnings, he is more likely to be chasing another Super Bowl ring than a final payday. In terms of official sacks, Jordan is the Saints’ all-time leader (120.5). That total ranks 23rd all time, putting Jordan on the Hall of Fame radar. Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers kept going into their late 30s, padding their sack totals as situational pass rushers. A similar role could benefit Jordan, but some moving parts still exist here.

He also wants to stay at defensive end instead of moving inside to defensive tackle, Triplett adds. Jordan has spent the vast majority of his career as an edge defender in the Saints’ 4-3 scheme. At 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds, he has the size to play along the interior, but believes he will be most effective on the outside. However, teams with a 3-4 defense – which tend to assign more coverage responsibilities to edge defenders – may only see Jordan as a designated pass rusher. Still, most teams primarily use nickel personnel, so Jordan should be able to find a new defensive end gig if he leaves New Orleans.

Teams Expect 2025 Salary Cap To Check In Between $265-$275MM

December 10th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a significant reduction in 2021, the NFL’s salary cap is back on the rise. This year brought a record spike, which produced some windfalls — particularly along the offensive and defensive lines — in the days that followed. More growth is coming, but not quite as much as what 2024 brought.

This year produced a $30.6MM spike, raising the league’s salary ceiling to $255.4MM. The NFL is not planning to offer teams a projection this year, marking a deviation from the norm, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport does indicate where clubs are expecting next year’s number to sit . Teams are planning for the 2025 cap to come in between $265-$275MM.

A $10MM increase would be in line with the annual jumps during the 2011 CBA, but since the COVID-19 pandemic brought a 2021 reduction, the 2020 CBA — thanks in part to the expanded playoff bracket, 17th regular-season game and a new round of TV deals — has produced bigger leaps.

At this time last year, clubs were a bit more pessimistic on the 2024 cap. An expectation pointed to a $240MM salary ceiling for this year. That turned out to be well off the actual number, a development the Giants’ Hard Knocks: Offseason series revealed caught their GM (Joe Schoen) by surprise. We did hear earlier this offseason that at least one team, the Cowboys, did not expect similar cap growth for 2025. A May report predicted around a $10MM climb, which would certainly not rival what happened this year. That would affect teams’ plans for free agency and extensions.

The media kicker in the 2020 CBA, which can raise the players’ revenue share from 48% to 48.8%, played a role in this year’s cap spike. The NFL still, however, has not yet moved away from the effects of COVID. The pandemic leading to fanless stadiums (in many cases) and capped attendance at others in 2020 produced a $15.7MM cap reduction in 2021. Only the 2011 season, which came after a lockout and an uncapped 2010, had previously brought a decline. The 2025 offseason, though, is believed to be the final year in which the effects from the pandemic impact the NFL’s salary cap, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes.

Teams generally know what the cap will be around the Combine, leaving some mystery ahead. A $9MM deferment will affect the 2025 and ’26 caps, Rapoport adds, noting that the NFL and NFLPA agreed to keep that money from being piled onto this year’s record number. Otherwise, the NFL’s 2024 cap would have passed $260MM.

Franchise and transition tag numbers, fifth-year option figures, RFA tender prices and other matters will be determined as a result of where the cap lands. Here is where the cap has stood in each year during the past two CBAs:

2011: $120.4MM
2012: $120.6MM
2013: $123.6MM
2014: $133MM
2015: $143.3MM
2016: $155.3MM
2017: $167MM
2018: $177.2MM
2019: $188.2MM
2020: $198.2MM
2021: $182.5MM
2022: $208.2MM
2023: $224.8MM
2024: $255.4MM

Extra Points: Cap, Interviews, Texans, Pash

May 24th, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Sam Robinson

In place since 1994, the salary cap jumped by a greater amount this year than any other in its history. The $30.6MM spike this year — producing a $255.4MM salary ceiling — led to some monster payments for top free agents, and the wide receiver ceiling is likely to reach the $35MM-per-year place once Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb are signed. Teams, however, may be preparing for a less impactful rise in 2025. The cap should not be expected to balloon on the level it did this year, with the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken noting the early expectation is an increase of approximately $10MM. Once the 2011 CBA starting bringing cap growth by 2014, it leveled off at bumps of around $10MM per year as the 2010s wound down. That period will do well to prepare teams, as does the COVID-19-induced cap decline of 2021. But an expectation of a modest increase for 2025 will play into clubs’ big-ticket extension talks as this offseason progresses.

Here is the latest from around the NFL:

Assistant coaches on playoff teams will have some additional time to prepare for postseason matchups in 2025. The NFL will introduce a cap on the length of HC interviews with assistants attached to playoff teams, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. These meetings will be capped at three hours. With no limit being in place previously, this will be a significant change as teams and candidates chart their interview schedules come January. Additionally, these interviews must take place in the city of the assistant’s current team or a location approved by the coach’s current team, per Pelissero and SI.com’s Albert Breer. These changes comes a year after the league pushed back the timeline for candidates to conduct in-person interviews, sliding it from after the wild-card round to after the divisional round.
NFL general counsel Jeff Pash revealed he will retire from the post he has held since 1997, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. Pash will remain in his position until a successor is determined. A Paul Tagliabue-era hire, Pash has worked as a central part of Roger Goodell‘s disciplinary efforts since he replaced Tagliabue in 2006. Best known for his efforts in high-profile NFL legal battles, Pash has also played a key role in player safety measures on the field. Lawrence Ferazani Jr., Anastasia Danias Schmidt and Brook Gardiner loom as early replacement candidates, Bloomberg’s Brian Baxter writes. An ex-FBI agent, Ferazani has worked in the league office since 2007. Danias Schmidt currently serves as Major League Soccer’s general counsel, but she worked in the league office previously. Gardiner, MLS Next Pro’s general counsel, did as well. Janet Nova, the NFL’s deputy general counsel for media and business affairs, and fellow league staffer Dolores DiBella loom as other internal options, Baxter adds.
Texans minority owner Javier Loya faced a rape charge, along with other sexual abuse charges, stemming from alleged incidents in May 2022. The rape allegation has been dismissed, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who reports the six charges of sexual abuse were also dropped. Loya agreed to a deal that will close this matter with one misdemeanor charge — harassment with intent to annoy — and a $100 fine in Kentucky, Wilson adds. Four female models Loya allegedly hired to work at two Kentucky-based parties accused him of sexual abuse. Loya has been a Texans minority owner since the franchise’s 2002 inception.

Dolphins Restructures: Ramsey, Armstead, Sieler, Ingold, Smythe

March 24th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins were in a dangerous situation working with quite a precarious cap number. In an effort to get within compliance, Miami reworked the deals of several players in order to lessen their respective salary cap impacts.

One of the biggest deals to get done was the restructure of star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the team converted $13.89MM of Ramsey’s 2024 base salary (now only $1.21MM) and an $11MM roster bonus into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the two already in existence at the end of his contract.

The work put in by both sides resulted in a cap clearance of $19.91MM.

Here are a few other restructured deals the Dolphins utilized to increase their available cap space:

We mentioned after the re-signing of offensive guard Robert Jones that an adjusted contract was on the way for left tackle Terron Armstead. Lo and behold, per Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald, Armstead will accept a $4.25MM pay cut in 2024 while bringing in $10MM of guaranteed salary. His new deal includes a $7.29MM signing bonus, as well. The adjustments cleared another $10.29MM of cap space for the Dolphins.
It was Michael Ginnitti at Spotrac.com who informed us of the remaining adjustments. Defensive lineman Zach Sieler contributed by agreeing to convert $7.01MM of his 2024 base salary (now only $1.13MM) into a signing bonus while adding two void years to the end of his deal, resulting in the clearance of $5.6MM of cap space. Fullback Alec Ingold chipped in by agreeing to convert $2.08MM of his 2024 salary (now also $1.13MM) into a signing bonus while adding two void years to the end of his contract, as well, resulting in $1.66MM of cap space clearance. Finally, tight end Durham Smythe agreed to convert $2MM of his 2024 base salary (now also $1.13MM) into a signing bonus while adding three void years to the end of his current deal, resulting in $1.6MM of new cap space. Oyefusi points out that the addition of all those void years speaks to the dire nature of the team’s salary cap position. They ended up finding cap compliance in time for the new league year, but the cap hits of those void years will find them eventually.

NFC Restructures: 49ers, Smith, Eskridge

March 24th, 2024 at 7:55pm CST by Ely Allen

The 49ers recently restructured the contracts of two offensive mainstays that cleared up a heap of cap space. According to ESPN’s Field Yates and Adam Schefter, both tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk agreed to restructured contracts to help lessen their impact on the salary cap.

Charean Williams of NBC Sports provided us with some details on Kittle’s newly redone deal. The veteran tight end was set to have a base salary of $13.4MM with a cap hit of $21.96MM in 2024. Instead, the team converted $12.19MM of his base salary for 2024 into a signing bonus while adding one voidable year to the existing two already at the tail end of his contract. The move cleared up $9.75MM of space in the team’s salary cap.

While Schefter’s initial report claimed that the restructure for Juszczyk would free up approximately $1.75MM of cap space, a later report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network laid out some details that would clear almost $4MM of cap space. The restructured deal will reportedly reduce his base salary in both 2024 and 2025, forming what is essentially now a two-year, $9.1MM contract. In exchange for the reduced pay, San Francisco gave Juszczyk $4MM of new guarantees.

Here are some details on other recent restructures from around the conference:

We reported a restructured deal for Vikings safety Harrison Smith about a week and a half ago, and thanks to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, we have some details on the new contract. The restructure addressed the final two years of Smith’s contract, essentially giving him a two-year, $10.25MM deal with three void years at the end of the contract. Smith received $7MM of guaranteed money in the form of a signing bonus and will receive a per game active bonus of $30K for a potential season-total of $510K. The new contract reduces Smith’s cap number in 2024 by $11.9MM and reduces his 2025 cap impact by $15.5MM.
The Seahawks cleared up some cap space by restructuring the contract of wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. It’s just a slight tweak for a player who was only slotted to make $1.47MM in the final year of his rookie deal. The restructure will open up about $500K of cap space for Seattle.

NFL Restructures: Saints, Ward, McGovern

March 2nd, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Ely Allen

With the league’s recent release of the new salary cap numbers and the rapid approach of free agency and the draft, NFL teams are working to clear up cap space to help add significant talent to their rosters for the 2024 NFL season. The Saints made a number of moves recently to reflect this pattern.

New Orleans agreed to a restructured deal with defensive end Carl Granderson, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The team converted a $9MM roster bonus that Granderson was due into a signing bonus spread over a five-year period. The move reduced his cap hit in 2024 from $12.45MM to $5.25MM, freeing up $7.2MM of cap space.

The team applied the same tactic to interior offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz‘s contract, per Pelissero, converting his $8MM roster bonus into a signing bonus and adding a void year to the end of his deal. The result saw Ruiz’s cap number drop from $10.85MM to $4.45MM, freeing up $6.4MM more of cap space.

One more time, the Saints got another player to sign a restructured deal this week. This time, star pass rusher Cameron Jordan agreed to convert $11.79MM of his 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Jordan’s base salary was reduced to $1.21MM, and the team cleared $9.43MM of cap space as a result.

Granderson, Ruiz, and Jordan join quarterback Derek Carr, defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd, and center Erik McCoy as Saints who have signed restructured deals to help clear cap space recently.

Here are a couple of other restructured deals from around the league:

The Browns got in on the party, agreeing to a restructured deal with cornerback Denzel Ward, per Pelissero. Cleveland converted $14.2MM of Ward’s base salary into a signing bonus and added a void year to the end of his contract. Ward’s 2024 salary is now $1.13MM as a result, and the move cleared $11.36MM of cap space for the upcoming league year.
Finally, the Bills were the other team this week to work towards more cap space. Offensive guard Connor McGovern agreed to a reworked deal that would convert $4.68MM of his 2024 base salary into a signing bonus and add two void years to the end of his contract, according to Pelissero. The restructure clears up $3.74MM of cap space for Buffalo.

Teams Expect 2024 Salary Cap To Check In Around $240MM

December 14th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Over the course of the 2011 CBA, the NFL salary cap did not jump by more than $12MM in a single year. The 2020s look likely to produce another climb by at least $15MM.

The cap checked in at $224.8MM this year, marking an increase from 2022 ($208.2MM). While unresolved issues are holding up a projection for the 2024 cap, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes teams’ internal projections have placed the 2024 salary ceiling between $235-$240MM. Though, Breer adds the actual number is likely to come in a bit higher, potentially closer to $245MM.

Following the 2021 cap reduction that stemmed from the fanless or fan-limited 2020 season, the cap jumped by a record $26MM to the above-referenced 2022 number. A climb to approximately $240MM, the second-highest year-to-year increase since the cap was implemented in 1994, would be in line with the growth under the current CBA. The 2020 agreement has brought multiple additional revenue drivers.

The NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams in 2020, ending a 30-season run of 12-team brackets. In 2021, the league broke a 42-year string (strike years excluded) of 16-game regular seasons. The expanded playoffs and 17-game regular season has helped, with each factoring into the new round of TV deals that became final in March 2021. Those contracts run through 2033. The YouTube TV seven-year “NFL Sunday Ticket” agreement, worth more than $2 billion, will impact future salary caps as well.

Last year’s round of internal team projections represented an accurate number for the 2023 cap, so the 2024 range should be viewed as relevant here. OverTheCap’s prediction has also moved down to $242MM. No official projection will arrive until January, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who adds a league memo sent to teams recently indicated the NFL and NFLPA are still working on unresolved matters.

Here is how the salary cap has climbed over the past two CBAs:

2011: $120.4MM
2012: $120.6MM
2013: $123.6MM
2014: $133MM
2015: $143.3MM
2016: $155.3MM
2017: $167MM
2018: $177.2MM
2019: $188.2MM
2020: $198.2MM
2021: $182.5MM
2022: $208.2MM
2023: $224.8MM

NFC Restructures: Armstead, Lawrence, Okereke

September 10th, 2023 at 9:00pm CST by Ely Allen

As if they needed to, the 49ers made moves yesterday to increase their already NFL-leading unused salary cap space up to $42.29MM in 2023 (Overthecap.com). This time, San Francisco addressed the contract of defensive tackle Arik Armstead, according to Field Yates of ESPN.

The 49ers came to an agreement with Armstead, who’s currently playing on a five-year, $85MM contract, to convert $14.72MM of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the end of his current deal. The moved resulted in $11.78MM becoming available in cap space for the 2023 season.

We mentioned yesterday that the additional cap space for the 49ers could have multiple uses that benefit the team. The obvious immediate benefit is that San Francisco should have plenty of flexibility around the trade deadline to make any necessary additions.

If second-year quarterback Brock Purdy decides to continue adding to his flawless regular season record and the team deems that no additions are necessary, the 49ers will be able to roll over unused cap space into 2024, when they’re projected to be $40MM over the salary cap. They’ll likely still make additions or adjustments in the offseason that will make it a closer call but having over $42MM of cap space to play with is insanely valuable.

Here are a couple of other restructures from another 2022 NFC playoff squad:

Shortly after rewarding defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence with a four-year, $87.5MM contract extension, the Giants have restructured his new deal for a bit of maneuverability in the team’s cap space, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN. Lawrence’s 2023 base salary of $2.25MM was reduced down to $1.08MM with the difference of $1.17MM being converted into a signing bonus. This is a standard move at the start of the year to help create a bit of flexibility in the team’s salary cap.
New York also adjusted the contract of new linebacker Bobby Okereke, according to Raanan. Okereke’s 2023 base salary of $1.9MM was also reduced to $1.08MM with the $820K-difference being converted into a signing bonus. Along with Lawrence’s above restructure, the team was reportedly able to clear up about $1.55MM of cap space for 2023.

NFL Restructures: 49ers, Humphrey, Barrett, Teller

September 6th, 2023 at 9:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL has an offseason rule called the Top 51 rule. The Top 51 rule dictates that, from the start of the new NFL league year until the beginning of the regular season, only the top 51 contracts (in terms of salary cap hit) count against a team’s salary cap. With the 2023 regular season starting tomorrow, the Top 51 rule expired at 4pm today.

This means that each team in the NFL was forced to add two more contracts to their salary cap totals. If a team was flirting with the ceiling of the salary cap, the addition of two more contracts may push them above the limit. While that may not have been the case for all of the following teams, these front offices decided to take advantage of the timing to clear up some cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates:

The 49ers did double-duty, restructuring the contracts of tight end George Kittle and offensive tackle Trent Williams. For Kittle, the team converted $10.57MM of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the end of the deal, clearing up $8.46MM of cap space. For Williams, San Francisco converted $18.24MM of the left tackle’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, also adding a single void year to the end of the deal. Williams’ adjustment cleared $14.59MM of cap space. The $23.04MM of cap space cleared in the restructures likely had less to do with the Top 51 rule and much more to do with star pass rusher Nick Bosa‘s record-setting extension.
The Ravens used the opportunity to adjust star cornerback Marlon Humphrey‘s contract. Baltimore converted $9.42MM of Humphrey’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus and added a single void year to the end of the deal. The adjustment created $7.54MM of cap space for the Ravens.
The Seahawks decided to create space by restructuring safety Jamal Adams‘ contract. Seattle converted $9.92MM of Adams’ 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, creating $6.61MM of cap space for the team.
The Buccaneers also targeted the contract of a defensive veteran, adjusting the numbers of pass rusher Shaquil Barrett. For Barrett, Tampa Bay converted $13.09MM of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the end of the contract. The restructure clears up $10.47MM of cap space for the Buccaneers.
The Titans also addressed the contract of a pass rusher, restructuring Harold Landry‘s current deal. Tennessee converted $11MM of Landry’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, clearing up $8.25MM of cap space for the team.
The Broncos continue to miss the contributions of wide receiver Tim Patrick, who will once again miss the entire season, but Denver still found some value for him in a contract restructure. The team converted $6MM of Patrick’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus to clear up $3MM of cap space.
The Browns created some cap space by restructuring the deal of veteran offensive guard Wyatt Teller. Cleveland converted $11.42MM of Teller’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the end his deal in order to create $9.14MM of cap space for the team.

Chargers Rumors: Ekeler, Johnston, Salary Cap

July 15th, 2023 at 4:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Within a limited salary cap, as other positions begin to see an increase in the average value of their contracts, the space in the salary cap for those increases has to come from somewhere. As positions like quarterback and defensive tackle are reaching new highs, it seems that the value of running backs is slowly diminishing.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler went on The Rich Eisen Show this week to voice his opinion on the situation. Ekeler is entering a contract year and was interested in renewing his deal for more time in Los Angeles. When it became clear that the Chargers weren’t willing to meet his demands on a new deal, they allowed him to seek a trade. Unfortunately for Ekeler, it soon became apparent that no one was willing to meet his demands, sending him back to the negotiating table. Without extending his time with the team, Los Angeles did show a bit of their appreciation for Ekeler, reworking his contract in a way that allows him to make more money in 2023 through incentives.

Ekeler understandably left the situation frustrated with the development of the running back market. His view is that running backs carry the ball and impact the game more and that they’re not getting compensated in a corresponding fashion. While he certainly has a point, being concerned that top running backs are getting nearly the money they should be able to, the overall market of the position is being dragged down by the success of its younger players. Due to the recent successes seen by running backs on rookie contracts, several teams feel much more comfortable going to the draft for their primary rushers, making them less inclined to pay out large contracts to veterans, regardless of their caliber.

As a result, Ekeler sees backup wide receivers making more money than him, despite their lesser impact on the team’s success. It’s an unfortunate development that, this offseason, has resulted in contract disputes from four of the league’s top-eight running backs in yards from scrimmage last year.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Los Angeles this summer:

The Chargers used a first-round pick on wide receiver Quentin Johnston this year, and there is not an expectation that he will be coming off the bench much as a rookie, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Despite Josh Palmer stepping up in a big way during his sophomore season while position leaders Keenan Allen and Mike Williams each missed some time with injury, Popper expects Johnston to jump Palmer for the WR3 role at some point this year. Johnston has some development to undergo still before claiming the spot, but Palmer’s absence in the spring (due to injury) certainly helps Johnston’s case. Popper expects the position battle to take place in training camp, and he expects Johnston to eventually win out.
Additionally, Popper addressed the team’s reluctance to spend on free agency this offseason despite having a little more the $12MM in open cap space for 2023. It’s a popular opinion that the Chargers are already looking ahead towards the 2024 season. Next year, four players will have cap hits over $30MM, and that’s not including quarterback Justin Herbert who, if forced to play out his fifth-year option, would hold a $29.50MM cap hit in 2024. Instead of spending their money this summer on contracts that may have an impact into next year, Los Angeles may be angling to take advantage of rollover cap space. According to Popper, “teams are allowed to roll over any unused cap space from one season to the next.” $12MM of rollover could do a lot towards what could end up being a pricey 2024 season. In contrast, the highest cap hit the team is dealing with in 2023 comes in at $17MM.

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