The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl contenders in the eyes of some experts this season but 2021 could have a drastically different look due to the coronavirus pandemic and the financial fallout from it.
The NFL and NFLPA continue negotiations and one of the economic proposals on the table centers on the salary cap for 2021 and a significant reduction in salary cap space that drastically impacts the Birds.
The NFL has reportedly asked the players to accept a $175 million salary cap in 2021 to compensate for a possible severe financial dropoff for the league.
The proposed $175 million salary cap is the floor at this point and almost $23 million less than the $198.2 million salary cap for the 2020 season.
Here’s how such a reduction would impact the Eagles:
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1. Salary cap hell
Such a move would put the Eagles in salary cap hell, with the least amount of space out of all 32 NFL teams, at almost $72 million over the limits, per Over The Cap.
The Eagles currently have $267 million committed to salaries for the 2021 season and if they roll over the current $22 million in cap space, they would still need to cut almost $72 million.
2. Shedding salary
The Covid-19 pandemic has almost assured that this will be the final season in Philadelphia for players like DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Marquise Goodwin, while players like Fletcher Cox, Brandon Brooks, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Brandon Graham, and Derek Barnett will need to be extended or have their deals restructured.
