May 24th, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Sam Robinson
In place since 1994, the salary cap jumped by a greater amount this year than any other in its history. The $30.6MM spike this year — producing a $255.4MM salary ceiling — led to some monster payments for top free agents, and the wide receiver ceiling is likely to reach the $35MM-per-year place once Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb are signed. Teams, however, may be preparing for a less impactful rise in 2025. The cap should not be expected to balloon on the level it did this year, with the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken noting the early expectation is an increase of approximately $10MM. Once the 2011 CBA starting bringing cap growth by 2014, it leveled off at bumps of around $10MM per year as the 2010s wound down. That period will do well to prepare teams, as does the COVID-19-induced cap decline of 2021. But an expectation of a modest increase for 2025 will play into clubs’ big-ticket extension talks as this offseason progresses.
Here is the latest from around the NFL:
- Assistant coaches on playoff teams will have some additional time to prepare for postseason matchups in 2025. The NFL will introduce a cap on the length of HC interviews with assistants attached to playoff teams, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. These meetings will be capped at three hours. With no limit being in place previously, this will be a significant change as teams and candidates chart their interview schedules come January. Additionally, these interviews must take place in the city of the assistant’s current team or a location approved by the coach’s current team, per Pelissero and SI.com’s Albert Breer. These changes comes a year after the league pushed back the timeline for candidates to conduct in-person interviews, sliding it from after the wild-card round to after the divisional round.
- NFL general counsel Jeff Pash revealed he will retire from the post he has held since 1997, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. Pash will remain in his position until a successor is determined. A Paul Tagliabue-era hire, Pash has worked as a central part of Roger Goodell‘s disciplinary efforts since he replaced Tagliabue in 2006. Best known for his efforts in high-profile NFL legal battles, Pash has also played a key role in player safety measures on the field. Lawrence Ferazani Jr., Anastasia Danias Schmidt and Brook Gardiner loom as early replacement candidates, Bloomberg’s Brian Baxter…