NFL teams will be able to spend a lot more money for the 2020 league year.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL informed teams that the 2020 salary cap is expected to be in the range of $196 million to a little over $201 million. This marks the seventh consecutive season in which the cap is projected to climb more than $10 million per team over a year.
Since 2011, the cap number has increased by 65 percent and $76 million per team. The total projected player costs for the 2020 season will be more than $7.7 billion.
As for what that means for the Jets, they have 40 players under contract for the 2020 season, according to Over The Cap. They have $147,098,220 million committed to those players. Based on a projected salary cap number of $200 million, the Jets will have $52,901,780 in cap space for 2020.
However, this number isn’t set in stone for 2020, as the Jets can create more cap space through cuts and trades. One of the first players that will be cut after the season is Trumaine Johnson. The Jets will take a $12 million dead cap hit, but will save $3 million. Meanwhile, Brian Winters has no guaranteed money left on his deal, meaning the Jets will save his entire $7 million salary if they cut him as expected.
In terms of trades, the Jets could possibly deal both Le’Veon Bell and Jamal Adams in the offseason. If the Jets can find a trade partner to take most if not all of Bell’s remaining contract, they’d be in line to save a lot of money. The Jets would save a few million by trading Adams as well.
New York is also going to try and retain some of its upcoming free agents too, so that will cut into cap space, as will the draft. Overall, the rise in the NFL salary cap number for 2020 will be beneficial for Joe Douglas when he gets his first crack at free agency.
