ALLEN PARK – The NFL is a crazy place where anything can happen on any Sunday. But there are also certain certainties. The grass is green, the lines are white, the touchdowns are worth six points and the salary cap always goes up.
This year, however, that is changing.
The salary cap is expected to fall this year, something that happened only when the league was emerging from the blockade in 2011. That’s it. Otherwise, the limit has increased every year, and it has increased a lot in recent years. The limit has increased by at least $ 10 million each in the past seven years. Last year, it went up exactly $ 10 million, to $ 198.2 million.
But then the pandemic hit, taking a hit on the league’s financial picture. Now, the limit could drop to $ 180 million in 2021, a record contraction of $ 18.2 million. The NFL has simply never seen anything like it since it adopted the limit in 1994, and it will have ramifications across the league in known and unknown ways.
Lions are trying to prepare for all contingencies until the league finally sets a limit.
“Obviously, there is some uncertainty in terms of what it will be,” said new general manager Brad Holmes this week. “From our planning point of view, we are weighing each scenario, from the most optimistic scenario, which would be, to the worst scenario. Then it goes back to the process and the planning stages in terms of how it works. I must say that (vice president of football administration) Mike Disner has been excellent in terms of his expertise in the salary cap and working with Dan (Campbell) and me and working in those areas. He made the process probably as perfect as it could have been in terms of its use and how he sees it and adjusts to how we are planning to build the team. Much credit goes to Mike Disner with the limit situation. “
The Lions’ situation is not the worst in the league, but it is hardly the best either, and the shrinking camp will leave them with a lot of work to do towards the free agency. The club will save $ 6.1 million from veteran cornerback Desmond Trufant, but still has about $ 193 million in commitments for 2021. That includes defender Jared Goff, who can officially join the team on March 17.
This means that, at worst, the limit is $ 180 million and Lions are $ 13 million over the limit, with decisions yet to be made about who to sign as a representative. They also have an important decision to make about receiver Kenny Golladay, who can become a free agent in 13 days. Lions could use the franchise brand on it, but that would cost another $ 16 million and require even more moves to put their list in financial form.
Asked if the possible fluctuation in the limit could affect Detroit’s decision to use the franchise brand, Holmes said “we are making plans and using our process in terms of going through each scenario, what would be, as you said, the floor for what the tallest one could probably be. So just make sure we’re prepared for everything that might happen.
Holmes went through the scouting department at the Los Angeles Rams, where he worked at college, including serving as scouting director for the past eight years. So this is his first real foray into the free agency and on the positive side of things, although the collaborative approach used by LA allowed him to at least get a taste of how things worked.
He also hired Ray Agnew as his assistant general manager. Agnew has served as director of professional scouting in Los Angeles for the past four years and adds some valuable experience to the upper levels of the front office.
“Ray was kidding me the other day in terms of the amount of detail we put into the free agency process,” said Holmes. “He even said it was a little different. This is the only way I know in terms of how to acquire players, it is to leave no stone unturned. Regardless of how it will work with the salary cap and cash outlays, all of this has been a fun part in terms of the player acquisition process and the evaluation process and seeing which players really fit and which players fit within the ceiling structure. wage. (This has been) a fun part of the free agency process. “
Lions have a lot of work to do in the early days of this rebuild, but don’t expect them to spend a lot on agency. They are years away from competitiveness and want to build the team’s base through the draft.
“Whoever we brought here, when it comes to you talking about the draft or even the free agency, it needs to be someone we love, you know?” Campbell said. “Someone we all feel is an almost unanimous decision that we love this guy. ‘This guy can help us, we know who this guy is, we know what he does, we know what his fit is, we know what his role is,’ because that is so important. What’s the fit? This guy may be one of the best players you’ve ever seen, but if he doesn’t fit us, we don’t know what to do with him. We don’t know where to put it, it’s no use. That’s where we are now. Those are the rules, so let’s take care of that. “