NFL increases salary cap to $279.2M for 2025 season

[omahacolt]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyinIndy

Ballard has almost always spent the cap space.

From Spotrac, here are the amounts the Colts spent by year vs baseline cap:

2024: $250.3 ($255.4 was baseline cap)
2023: $223.9 ($224.8)
2022: $205.8 ($208.2)
2021: $187.3 ($182.5)
2020: $231.4 ($198.2)

that doesn't seem right to me for some reason


weren't we sitting on cap space just last year or am I just imagining it.

[sherck]

Originally Posted by omahacolt

that doesn't seem right to me for some reason


weren't we sitting on cap space just last year or am I just imagining it.

We carried over about $10m but not that much.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by omahacolt

That doesn't seem right to me for some reason.


Weren't we sitting on cap space just last year, or am I just imagining it ???

Originally Posted by sherck

We carried over about $10M, but not that much.

o


Sometimes, perception differs from reality.

o

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by omahacolt

that doesn't seem right to me for some reason


weren't we sitting on cap space just last year or am I just imagining it.

That was the popular trope of Ballard haters, but it has been proven false every time. Yes, we start the offseason with a lot of cap money, but we also started every one of them with a lot of free agents to replace. The cap space we have every year is always a mirage. Most teams with a lot of space have a lot of expiring contracts, or a dearth of talent.

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

Originally Posted by omahacolt

that doesn't seem right to me for some reason


weren't we sitting on cap space just last year or am I just imagining it.

So I gave the baseline cap numbers above, not the adjusted cap number.

As sherck points out above, any unused cap carries over and is added to the following year - the owner does not pocket the money. So each team essentially has their own cap number for any given year.

Another way to look at it is to see how much cap is left per year to be carried over. And there are reasons to have a little cap space left - for example, playing time and performance incentives count against the cap, so a little extra cap space may open up if the incentive conditions are not met.

Again, from Spotrac, below are the carryover numbers for each of the last 5 years and where it ranks among the league.

2024: $10.1M (12th)
2023: $6.4M (11th)
2022: $6.6M (6th)
2021: $2.4M (15th)
2020: $8.3M (13th)

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

The Colts restructured Kenny Moore's contract to open up a little more cap space this year:

https://x.com/Jason_OTC/status/1976316460390838512

The Colts created $3.8M in cap room with a simple restructure of Kenny Moore's contract

https://x.com/mchappell51/status/1976320609606082917

Per OverTheCap, the Colts converted $4.75m of salary into a bonus and added three void years to the contract for cap purposes.

The move created $3.8 million in cap room for the Colts in 2025 and will add $950,000 to each remaining contract year.

[Oldcolt]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyinIndy

The Colts restructured Kenny Moore's contract to open up a little more cap space this year:

https://x.com/Jason_OTC/status/1976316460390838512

Any ideas why?

[HoosierinFL]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

Any ideas why?

Probably need to sign some free agents with all the injuries to defense and PK

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

Any ideas why?

Hopefully to trade for Trey Hendrickson, but they would need to clear another $3.5 million to be able to afford his remaining cap hit.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

Hopefully to trade for Trey Hendrickson, but they would need to clear another $3.5 million to be able to afford his remaining cap hit.

Plus, more to sign players as we get injuries.