UNDATED (AP) — The NFL’s salary cap will be $182.5 million per team in the upcoming season, a drop of 8% from 2020.
The league’s loss of revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic caused the first decrease in the cap since 2011, which followed an uncapped season. Free agency begins next Wednesday, though the “legal tampering” period starts Monday. The NFL is close to agreement on extensions of its broadcast contracts, but those deals won’t affect the 2021 season.
In other NFL news:
— The New Orleans Saints have informed receiver Emmanuel Sanders and linebacker Kwon Alexander they’ll be released in moves that will save the club nearly $20 million against the NFL’s salary cap, a person familiar with the situation said. Following the releases of Sanders and Alexander, the Saints were projected to remain about $32 million above the salary with about a week to get below it. Sanders had 61 catches for 726 yards last season.
— The Dallas Cowboys have been awarded the maximum four compensatory picks in April’s NFL draft, while the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers will get three apiece. The NFL announced today that there will be 32 such picks this year. Carolina, Chicago, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota, New England, New Orleans and Philadelphia get two apiece. Baltimore, the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Tennessee will have one each. Compensatory selections are awarded to a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year.
— The Buffalo Bills have released receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson in moves made to free up much-needed space under the newly announced salary cap. Brown had one year remaining on a three-year, $27 million contract and Jefferson had one year left on the two-year, $13.5 million contract.
— The Carolina Panthers have restructured the contracts of running back Christian McCaffrey and linebacker Shaq Thompson, freeing up an additional $11 million in salary-cap space. The moves leave the Panthers about $30 million under the cap, but the team has $17 million of that pegged to sign draft picks and to have on hand for the start of the season in case additional moves need to be made.
— The New York Giants released starting guard Kevin Zeitler on Wednesday, a day after franchising defensive lineman Leonard Williams in a move that will cost the team at least $19.3 million. Zeitler, who turned 31 Monday, started 85 straight games before missing a start Dec. 15, 2019 with an ankle injury. Zeitler was scheduled to make $12 million and have a cap hit of $14.2 million in 2021.
— The Cincinnati Bengals have signed backup quarterback Brandon Allen to a one-year contract. Allen, who was signed by the team as a free agent in August, ended up starting five games last season after Joe Burrow suffered a knee injury. Allen completed 90 of 142 passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.
— Broncos running back Melvin Gordon will likely avoid NFL discipline after his drunken driving charge was dismissed and he pleaded guilty in Denver County Court to lesser charges of excessive speeding and reckless driving. Gordon was arrested Oct. 13 in downtown Denver when he was clocked going 71 mph in a 35 mph zone. Gordon is entering the second season of the two-year, $16 million free agent contract he signed a year ago.
— The Minnesota Vikings made their costliest move yet for salary cap compliance Wednesday by terminating the contract of left tackle Riley Reiff with one year remaining. Though Reiff plays a critical position and 2020 was by most measures the best of his four seasons with the Vikings, cutting him will trim $11.75 million off the team’s cap charges. They’ll carry $3.2 million in dead money.
