It’s been a rough year for everyone, and the people who run shop in the NFL are no exception. As you read this, the shot-callers for every team are looking at the best ways to improve their rosters via a free-agency process that begins on March 17, and includes the first reduction of the salary cap from one year to the next in NFL history — and a significant one at that. The reduction from the 2020 cap of $198.2 million to the 2021 cap of $182.5 million represents a 7.9% hit in budget for every team.
So, there’s that. Teams have been re-structuring and releasing players left and right to get in compliance and see just how much they can spend on new talent, and because of the reduced cap, you may see players who would have welcomed multi-year deals in previous years looking hard at one-year, “prove-it” contracts in order to cash in on projected revenue increases in future years.
It’s a complicated landscape for NFL teams, but it doens’t have to be complicated for you, dear reader. Here’s everything you need to know about free agency as the NFL’s 2021 league year approaches.
