Announcement will be welcome news for a number of cash-strapped teams.
The NFL is expected to announce a decision to raise the salary cap to about $130m, up by around 5 per cent from $123m, according to league sources.
It is understood that several executives from the NFL believe that the official announcement will be made shortly as they now work on the basis of the new projected $130m cap when organising their off-season plans, as reported by ESPN.
The increase will likely take some of the pressure off a number of teams including the likes of the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints who would have been particularly restricted.
Cowboys executive Stephen Jones has previously revealed that the team wouldn’t be taking any decisions about the future of their players until the were under the cap.
Teams have until March 11 to become compliant with the salary cap, but some have already begun their plans for the off-season by cutting players to create savings.
The Detroit Lions released Louis Delmas and Nate Burelson last week while the Saints cut Will Smith, Roman Harper and Jabari Greer.
It is expected that the extra $4m will also be beneficial for teams looking to keep or extend their own players, with the Carolina Panthers quoted as being a perfect example as they have some big money decisions to make this summer.
General manager Dave Gettleman must decide whether or not he can afford to keep pass rusher Greg Hardy, extend quarterback Cam Newton’s deal and keep some of his secondary together.
While the additional money isn’t expected to solve all their issues, it will allow them further room to manoeuvre and make those decisions a little easier, a situation that perhaps many teams across the league will now find themselves in.
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