NFL Teams Told 2021 Salary Cap 'Will Be a Minimum of $180M' Ahead of Free Agency

The NFL informed its teams Thursday that the minimum salary cap for 2021 will be $180 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Schefter tweeted the memo the NFL sent to its teams. In it, the league noted that it decided to increase the cap floor from $175 million to $180 million after discussions with the NFLPA:

Last year, the NFL and the NFLPA agreed to a minimum cap number of $175 million. While $180 million is the floor for now, it remains possible that the final 2021 salary cap will be higher than that.

While the cap received a boost from what was originally agreed upon, it will be significantly lower than last year barring unforeseen circumstances.

Last year's salary cap was set at $198.2 million, marking the seventh consecutive year that the cap increased. The 2020 cap number was a $10 million increase from 2019.

A salary-cap drop was expected due to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on revenue, and it creates a difficult situation for teams that were up against the cap to begin with.

Neal Coolong of USA Today noted that while $180 million isn't the final number for 2021, it isn't likely that the cap will increase more than "a few million" beyond that.

If the cap remains at $180 million or increases only slightly beyond that, it will mark the NFL's lowest cap number since 2018 when it was set at $177.2 million.

While free agency will undoubtedly still be busy, it is possible that the top free agents won't receive offers as big as they would have last year when the cap was nearly $20 million higher.

Some of the biggest names set to hit the market include quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receivers Chris Godwin, Kenny Golladay and Allen Robinson II, safety Justin Simmons and pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett.

Also, defensive lineman J.J. Watt is already a free agent and free to sign with any team following his release from the Houston Texans.