The NFL on Thursday sent a note to teams saying the salary cap it would increase to $ 180 million for the 2021 season. While that’s good news, it’s still good news for the 49ers and the impending salary cap gymnastics that will have to change into free agency.
Earlier last season, the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed on a $ 175 million salary cap as they prepared for the long-term financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams can typically rely on the limit to jump about $ 10 million each year. A $ 175 million flat would have dropped $ 23 million by 2020 and left the 49ers with about $ 9 million of maximum space.
Now the NFL has restored the ground to $ 180 million, leaving San Francisco with $ 12,670,669 in available space. This number will increase once some cuts have been made and the list has been restructured to free up an additional room.
CEO John Lynch told reporters after the season that the team was planning a $ 175 million cap.
“We operate under the premise of the flat, which is 175 (million),” Lynch said in his end-of-season video conference. “We felt it was better to operate out of that and formulate our plans out of that. If there’s something on top, that’s sauce for us.”
The additional $ 5 million will be advantageous in resolving your free agent status, but it is also a sign that the limit could exceed $ 180 million.
Either way, maneuvers won’t be easy for the 49ers this offseason. It’s the first time they’ve really faced the cap with good players like Trent Williams, K’Waun Williams and Kyle Juszczyk. They’ll need every last dollar they can get on the cover, and the NFL’s announcement of a cover base increase provides them with an additional $ 5 million they didn’t plan on having.