The 2021 salary cap prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was estimated to be $210 million. On Friday, the NFL and NFLPA executive committee agreed upon a salary cap floor of $175 million.
This paints a bleak picture for the Pittsburgh Steelers who have several priority players set to hit free agency in March, including defensive end Cam Heyward, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, cornerback Mike Hilton and linebacker Bud Dupree. With the $175 million salary cap, the Steelers will be nearly $16 million in the red for 2021.
Because the Steelers remain competitive each season, they have been up against it salary cap-wise for decades. It’s a delicate puzzle that great teams have to deal with season-in and season-out. Restructuring deals and the loss of productive players are often the outcomes.
It’ll certainly be interesting to sit back and watch how this all plays out.
