The NFL on Thursday sent a memo to the teams that said the salary cap would be increased to $ 180 million for the 2021 season. Although it is good little news, it is still good news for 49ers and the impending pay-cap gymnastics they will have to use on a free will basis.
Prior to last season, the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association agreed to a salary cap of $ 175 million as they prepared for the long-term financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, teams can count on the limit to jump around $ 10 million each year. A $ 175 million floor would have represented a drop of $ 23 million from 2020 and left the 49ers with about $ 9 million in cap space.
Now the NFL has reset the floor to $ 180 million, which would leave San Francisco with $ 12,670,669 in available space. This number will increase after they make some list cuts and restructuring to free up some additional space.
General manager John Lynch told reporters after the season that the team was planning a $ 175 million cap.
“We are operating under the floor premise, which is 175 (million),” said Lynch in his end-of-season videoconference. “We felt it was better to operate from that and sort of formulate our plans from that. If there’s anything on top, it’s sauce for us.
The additional $ 5 million will be beneficial in terms of resolving your situation as a free agent, but it is also a sign that the limit could reach just over $ 180 million.
Either way, maneuvering will not be easy for 49ers this off-season. It is the first time that they really face the limit with good players like Trent Williams, K’Waun Williams and Kyle Juszczyk, all hitting the free agency. They will need every last dollar they can get at the limit, and the NFL’s announcement of an increased limit floor gives them an extra $ 5 million that they didn’t plan to have.