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The 2014 NFL salary cap will be around $130 million, up from the $123 million mark of the 2013 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The five percent increase is a bit more than initially expected. It also does create some relief for the Steelers, who were projected to be approximately $12 million over the cap heading into the 2014 league year.
This figure drops that to $8 million. A few obvious roster moves, namely the release of Levi Brown and his $6.5 million base salary in 2014, brings them to $1.5 million over.
A new deal for safety Troy Polamalu is expected, and would bring him down from his $10.88 million cap figure. Other potential moves include an extension for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a reduced deal or a release for cornerback Ike Taylor and outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley.
While this is optimistic for the Steelers - and a mark against many who have been bemoaning the Steelers salary cap struggles - they've said, and have shown many times over the years, their priority will be with re-signing their own free agents.
Those include wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery and outside linebacker Jason Worilds. Considering the likelihood of a lower asking price from Cotchery, he seems like a solid bet to return for 2014. How the market plays out for Worilds will be a compelling headline this offseason. He came alive over the final half of the season after relatively mediocre performances in his first three and a half seasons with the team.
