A conference call from NFL team owners on Friday included a resolution to start training camps as scheduled next week, provided the players approve the current financial proposal on the table.
The league and NFLPA have been discussing a number of issues related to playing the 2020 season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most important has been how this year’s projected drop in earnings will affect the salary cap because the owners initially sought to take the hit immediately, while the players wanted it to be extended during the term of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that the current proposal would leave this year’s limit at $ 198.2 million for this year and set a minimum of $ 175 million for the 2021 season. Any additional deficits would go out of bounds during the 2024 season.
The NFL has new broadcast deals to develop in the coming years, as its current covenants are in effect in 2022. The revenue generated by those covenants will also be part of the equation that determines what the cap looks like in those seasons.