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As it did with nearly every facet of life since it appeared on the scene, COVID-19 dramatically affected the NFL. One such tangible effect was on the league’s salary cap, which dipped from $198,200,000.00 to $182,500,00.00. And just like everyday life is starting to creep back toward some sense of normalcy, so too shall the NFL’s finances. Dan Graziano is reporting that the cap is expected to jump from $182,500,000.00 to $208,200,000.00 in 2022.
Per source, the NFL and the NFLPA have agreed to a salary cap ceiling of $208.2 million for the 2022 season. If it gets there, that would be a 14 percent increase over the 2021 cap of $182.5 million. (more)
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) May 26, 2021
The 2019 cap (pre-COVID) was $198.2M per team, and at the time the cap was growing by about $10M per year. At that pace, the 2022 cap would have been about $218M. So $208.2M still isn't "caught up." But it would exceed the expectations of many who feared cap might stay flat.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) May 26, 2021
Although the Texans currently have more than $200,000,000.00 in cap dollars already earmarked for 2022, it stands to reason they’ll be able to shed or adjust a sizable portion of those commitments if they choose to do so.
Houston already has ~$204m in cap commitments in 2022 with 39 contracts. They do have a bit more flexibility with a few contracts as well. https://t.co/563fsqv8mR
— TexansCap (@TexansCap) May 26, 2021
Free agency in 2022 has a chance to be crazier than it’s been in awhile.