NFL’s 2017 salary cap gives teams plenty of money to spend

The NFL has announced the new salary cap for the 2017 league year will be $167 million, $12 million more than 2016.

The National Football League announced on Wednesday the new salary cap for the 2017 league year has been set at $167 million. This is $12 million more than 2016’s total of $155 million, which was then the highest total ever. The move gives every team plenty more cash to spend, which should make free agency very interesting and the top tier of players available that much richer.

What often happens in such a jump like this is that the most highly valued players at each position leap that much higher, while the average players remain largely the same. The overall average tends to rise, but those who enjoy the spoils of such an increase are going to be those players who cause a bidding war. Watch how defensive tackles like Brandon Williams or Dontari Poe, for example, will likely get much more than expected on the open market because they are the top players available at their position.

This certainly helps a team like the Chiefs as well, who were up against the cap in their current situation. The Chiefs needed internal money to spend, and they were able to use that extra room not only on Eric Berry’s big-money extension but even to take care of wrapping up a younger asset like guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.