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The National Football League is a growing enterprise. Hard to believe when many franchises are worth billions, and the league itself a multi-billion dollar organization, how the brand would continue to grow at such a rapid rate — but it is.
Nothing says this more about the increase in the NFL shield than the yearly increase in the league’s salary cap. How does the salary cap equate to league success? The more money it brings in, the more money the teams make and the more money they can spend on re-signing players, free agents and draft picks.
The league has announced they have settled on a $167 million dollar salary cap for the upcoming 2017-2018 NFL season.
NFL salary cap officially set today at $167 million per team, per source. Gentlemen, start your checkbooks.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2017
This is an increase from the $155.27 cap in 2016, $143.28 in 2015, $133 and $123 the years prior.
That is an increase of roughly 37.6-percent in the last 5 years, depending just where the league sets the cap for the upcoming NFL season.
Either way, it looks as if teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, who traditionally spend up to the cap, will have some more wiggle room in the new league year. It also means teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns, who typically have the most salary cap space available, can throw even more money at potential free agents starting March 9th.