NFL salary cap for 2021 to be higher than expected?

The NFL experienced a down year in 2020 in terms of total revenue due to the lack of fan attendance at most games this season. That was expected, which is why the league and players union agreed to terms for a lowered salary cap in 2021.

But the salary cap may actually be higher than initially expected.

Tom Pelissero published a good article on Wednesday outlining expectations for the offseason, which will begin after the Super Bowl is played on Sunday.

In his article, Pelissero says the 2021 salary cap could be around $185 million or higher. That’s above the $175 million both the league and players agreed on. The NFL has not yet decided how it will handle its accounting in terms of spreading out the revenue losses in 2020 across future years, but the cap for 2021 is expected to be above $175 million.

Pelissero believes that the top players will get their big contracts, but other players will be hurt. Many 1-year deals are expected. There may also be fewer franchise tags used this offseason since those are at high salaries.