How the NFL Salary Cap Affects Team Decisions
It's not merely a fight of physical prowess and strategic genius it's a game of high-stakes economic chess. And at the epicenter of that game is perhaps the league's most dominant yet least appreciated tool: the salary cap. Implemented to maintain competitive balance and financial viability, the salary cap has far-reaching effects on everything from roster construction to player negotiations and building philosophy. In today's NFL, expertise on the salary cap is every bit as important as designing a winning playbook. This article will take a look at how the NFL salary cap works, how it has changed, and most importantly how it affects the decisions of each team in the league. What Is the NFL Salary Cap? The salary cap is the largest sum of money that all NFL teams can spend on player wages within a league year. It is an absolute cap, as players cannot legally exceed it under any circumstance. The cap is determined by league revenue and negotiated betw...