Bucs Signing RB Le’Veon Bell
Running back Le’Veon Bell is back on an NFL roster, according to a tweet from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Bell is expected to sign a deal with the Buccaneers, pending a physical.
Bell appeared in five games for the Ravens this year after getting signed to the practice squad in early September. He joined Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman to create a trio of veteran running backs tasked with filling the void created by season-ending injuries to the team’s original 1-2 punch, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. In limited time spelling Murray and Freeman, Bell carried the ball 31 times for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Bell is once again being asked to replace some production lost to injuries with Ronald Jones II banged up and Leonard Fournette likely joining Chris Godwin and Pat O’Connor as recent additions to the Injured Reserve list.
The move reunites a dynamic duo of days past from Pittsburgh as Tampa Bay is now home to Bell and former-Steeler Antonio Brown. The Killer B’s will certainly be satisfied replacing Ben with Brady.
Top QB Prospects In 2022 NFL Draft
Every team in the NFL came into the 2021-22 season with a plan at quarterback. Some of those plans have gone awry and some of those plans have proven unsuccessful. The Texans, Football Team, and Saints have seen injuries dismantle their plans for Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Jameis Winston, respectively. The Giants, Panthers, and Lions hoped for promising seasons behind youngsters Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold, and Jared Goff, respectively, but a lack of success has left them disappointed. The Broncos might not see Teddy Bridgewater return after a one-year deal. And teams like the Falcons and Steelers have aging veterans in Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger, respectively, that may be starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Any of these teams may stick it out and see their plans through, and any teams that seem set at the quarterback position may decide that some young talent may improve their franchise. Well, there’s only one place to go for young football talent, and that leads us to the pool of top quarterback prospects presumed to be available in the 2022 NFL Draft.
When you look at the list of college quarterbacks preparing to enter the NFL next season, you’ll notice something a little different from years past. There is no Trevor Lawrence or Joe Burrow or Kyler Murray or Baker Mayfield. That is to say there is no unanimous top quarterback prospect with star power that led their team to the College Football Playoffs. Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder achieved what was seemingly impossible: guiding a Group of 5 school into the College Football Playoffs, but most GMs in the NFL do not see him as a first-round pick.
Instead, NFL GMs and evaluators seem to have narrowed it down to two quarterback prospects most likely to be taken on day one of the NFL Draft: Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and Ole Miss’s Matt Corral.
Pickett spent most of his freshman season in 2017 as a backup with his first start coming against the visiting Miami Hurricanes who were ranked second in the country by the College Football Playoff Committee going into the last week of the regular season. Pickett introduced himself to the college football world by leading the 4-7 Panthers to a huge upset over the Hurricanes. Pickett took over the starting job and never looked back. The next couple of years were nothing to brag about as he threw 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in both his junior and his senior seasons. But COVID-19 granted him a fifth year of eligibility and he made sure to take advantage. In his final year, Pickett completed 67.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards, throwing 42 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. Pickett led the Panthers to their first ever ACC Championship and finished third in Heisman voting.
Corral spent his freshman season backing up current Washington practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and took a redshirt after only appearing in four games. He took over the next year as the Ole Miss starting quarterback and led the team to a 4-8 finish completing 59.0% of his passes for 1,362 yards and throwing 6 touchdowns to 3 interceptions as a redshirt-freshman. Corral developed over the next two years, completing 69.5% of his passes for a combined 6,670 yards and throwing 49 touchdowns to 18 interceptions over his redshirt-sophomore and -junior seasons. The intrigue with Corral comes from what he adds on the ground. Over those final two seasons, Corral added 1,103 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing the ball. It should be noted the Corral hasn’t technically announced his intentions to enter the NFL Draft, but he posted an announcement calling Ole Miss’s matchup against Vanderbilt his “final game” at the Rebel’s home stadium, a strong indication of his intentions.
While those two are widely considered the most likely quarterbacks to go in the first round, it is also a fairly popular opinion that three quarterbacks could be taken on day one of the Draft. Who that third quarterback will be is up to a lot of speculation.
Two of the more common names to pop up in that conversation are Nevada’s Carson Strong and Liberty’s Malik Willis. Strong had a breakout performance in the COVID-shortened season and built off of that success in his redshirt-junior year completing 70.2% of his passes for 4,186 yards and tossing 36 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in 2021. Willis transferred from Auburn to Liberty for the 2020 season and led the Flames to a 10-1 season and a final ranking of 17th in the AP poll in Liberty’s third season in the FBS. Like Corral, Willis brings a lot to the table with his legs as well as his arms. In two years with the Flames, Willis threw for 44 touchdowns and ran for 25 more. He led quarterbacks in rushing yards in 2020 and finished third in that same category this year.
One of the two quarterbacks who finished with more rushing yards than Willis this season, is North Carolina’s Sam Howell. Before the 2021 season was played, Howell saw his name frequently in the top 5 of “way-too-soon” mock drafts. Many expected, with Howell as a third-year starter, that the Tar Heels would stake their claim at the top of the ACC, but a down year for the team hurt Howell’s draft stock. While Howell saw his passing numbers drop a bit from past seasons, he found a new talent for rushing the ball piling up 825 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
The last name that seems to find its way into the conversations is Desmond Ridder. Yes, I said that most GMs don’t see Ridder as a first-round pick, but most doesn’t mean all. Ridder has produced every season as a four-year starter saving his best year for last. And while he didn’t run the ball quite as much this year, he’s shown his abilities in past years racking up 650 yards in 2019 and 12 rushing touchdowns in 2020. Perhaps most importantly, Ridder knows how to win, achieving a 44-6 record in four years as a Bearcat, with the possibility of adding two more wins to that total.
So buckle up for an intriguing leadup to the 2022 NFL Draft. With so many differing opinions and valuations, chaos is sure to ensue as teams try to gauge just how long they can wait for their favorite quarterback prospect. The headline names may not be sexy and the certainty of teams’ decisions won’t resemble what we saw in 2012 when Indianapolis and Washington informed Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III of their decisions days before the Draft, but that shouldn’t make April 28, 2022, any less entertaining!
Teddy Bridgewater Suffers Head Injury
Late in the third quarter of the Broncos’ loss to Cincinnati, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was carted off the field when he appeared to lose consciousness following a hard impact with the ground on a diving play. Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill applied a hit from behind mid-dive in an attempt to tackle the quarterback. The hit didn’t appear to be dirty or malicious in any way, but some combination of the dive, the hit, and the landing made for a scary scene in the Mile High Stadium.
Medical staff brought out a stretcher to stabilize Bridgewater and removed his facemask from his helmet. Bridgewater left strapped down on the cart and was taken to a hospital. The Denver Broncos have announced that these were all precautionary measures and that Bridgewater will stay overnight for further evaluation, but that everything has checked out well so far.
Bridgewater suffered a concussion earlier this year in a Week 4 loss to the Ravens, so taking every precaution to ensure his safety only makes sense. In the meantime, Bridgewater was immediately replaced by former starter Drew Lock and they have second-year quarterback Brett Rypien on the roster, as well.
The Broncos are surely hoping for a quick recovery from Bridgewater as they still find themselves firmly in the running for a wildcard spot in a wild AFC.
Iowa State’s Breece Hall Enters NFL Draft
Iowa State running back Breece Hall is going pro. Hall is the latest of college football’s top rushers to declare, posting an announcement to his Instagram earlier today.
Although Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Hall listed as the third-best running back prospect, behind Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III and Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller, he is part of the consensus top-three among all draft sites.
“Playing for Iowa State has been nothing short of a gift,” Hall said in his posted statement. “After much praying and discussion with loved ones, I have decided to forgo my remaining eligibility and enter the 2022 NFL Draft.”
“While this decision has not been easy,” Hall continued, “playing in the NFL has been a lifelong dream of mine. I know that Cyclone Nation will support me and this decision. I am excited and grateful for this next step in my life.”
Hall sits at fifth in the nation in rushing yards per game with 122.67. He is also tied with four others for the most rushing touchdowns in college football with 20. His additional 3 receiving touchdowns gives him the most total touchdowns of any player in the NCAA (not including quarterbacks).
While there are not many mock drafts projecting running backs to be taken in the first round, Hall, Walker III, and Spiller are sure to be three of the top backs taken.
Urban Meyer’s Thoughts On Firing
NFL.com recently conducted an exclusive interview with former Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer. Meyer was fired by Jacksonville shortly after midnight on Thursday morning.
The interview covered many of the unflattering headlines that have colored the coach’s tenure in Duval, but started with an apology. Meyer apologized to the City of Jacksonville and painted the picture of a successful football future for the City, including a full stadium and a new facility promised by Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan.
Meyer talked a bit about something that he didn’t have a ton of experience with previously: losing. Meyer commented, “Losing eats away at your soul. Once you start losing, it’s hard on everybody.” This was perhaps most clear during what would be Meyer’s last post-game handshake of the 2021 NFL season, in which it seemed he couldn’t be bothered to even look at his former assistant, Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel, after a convincing 20-0 loss. Meyer commented on that moment, claiming that he and Vrabel are really close and saying, “that had nothing to do with [Vrabel]…I can’t take losing. I try to accept it, it just eats away at my soul.”
On many of the recent headlines that were thought to have contributed to his early exit, Meyer argued that they just weren’t true. Meyer said that a reported incident during which team captain Marvin Jones left the facility due to Meyer’s public and private criticism was not accurately portrayed. He also completely denied that he delivered a message to his assistant coaches that he is a winner and they are losers. Meyer also disputed that a preseason altercation occurred wherein he kicked former Jaguars’ kicker Josh Lambo while Lambo was stretching. Meyer was quoted saying, “It was like, ‘Wait a minute, where is this coming from?’ I’ve certainly made a few mistakes but those weren’t right.”
Meyer was asked about another highly criticized decision he made of benching James Robinson for an extended period of time against the Rams. The second-year running back is widely thought to be the best player on the struggling Jaguars. Meyer shrugged the decision off as a miscommunication. “We discussed it as a staff,” said Meyer. “When you see someone lose the ball or even see them be loose with the ball, get them out of the game, get their mind right, and then get them back in. When he fumbled, I said, ‘Take him out.’ We took him out and then we had lack of communication about when to put him back in.”
The other young star on Meyer’s former team is number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence. Meyer was complimentary of the 22 year old quarterback, commiserating with the tough situation he was put into. Meyer noted the franchise’s 15-game losing streak and injuries to key contributors on offense as obstacles Lawrence had to face. He ended the discussion on Lawrence saying, “There is zero doubt Trevor is going to be a great NFL quarterback.”
Questions were delivered on if there is an ongoing discussion with Jacksonville about the remaining money owed on his contract and on if Khan made the right move. Meyer declined to comment on both questions.
When asked what comes next for Meyer, he replied, “To be determined.” As of now, he has not heard from anyone in the football world about potential coaching opportunities. One can’t help but to think of where Meyer was a year ago, when he claimed he was living “the perfect life:” working at FOX with no plans to coach in the future.
FSU Pass Rusher Jermaine Johnson II Declares For NFL Draft
Jermaine Johnson II took a risk to play one year in Tallahassee, and he achieved the desired result as he announced his intention to enter the 2022 NFL Draft class last Thursday (Twitter). The red-shirt senior transferred from Georgia, where he enrolled as a JUCO prospect out of Independence Community College.
In two seasons as a Bulldog, Johnson II produced admirably, tallying 8.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. But he felt the best move for his career was just south of the Florida-Georgia line.
In his lone season at Florida State, Johnson II led the ACC in tackles for loss (17.5) and sacks (11.5), surpassing both of his career Georgia totals in half the time. He spent a lot of time harassing ACC quarterbacks as he racked up 12 quarterback hurries and forced 2 fumbles.
He currently figures as a late first-round pick, but as someone who’s seen their stock rise significantly over the past year, Johnson II doesn’t come off as someone who will be comfortable settling for day one. Johnson II will have the opportunity to try to put his name in the conversation with top draft prospects Kayvon Thibodeaux, Aidan Hutchinson, and George Karlaftis as the calendar turns to March at the 2022 NFL Combine.
USC WR Drake London Declares for NFL Draft
Drake London is one of the more intriguing prospects in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. The junior out of USC officially announced his intentions via Twitter earlier this month.
The young wide receiver is undoubtedly talented. Despite only playing 8 games this year, London led his team in every receiving statistic, reeling in 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns. The next closest receiver on the team had 54 catches for 602 yards through 12 games.
The intrigue doesn’t necessarily stem from London’s abilities but from London’s draft stock. London’s season came to an early end when he suffered a fractured ankle in late October. He underwent surgery but, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller, there was no ligament damage in the ankle, leaving the door open for a potential return in time for pre-draft testing.
At the time of his injury, London was widely considered a top wide receiver in college football. Before he missed any time, he led the NCAA in receiving yards, contested catches (19), and missed tackles (22) and was the highest-graded receiver according to Pro Football Focus.
While London is still widely considered to be a first-round pick based on the abilities he’s already displayed, it is yet to be seen how his injury and recovery will affect his draft stock after testing.
NFL COVID Protocols List
Until the Omicron variant of COVID-19 made its name known, the NFL seemed to have secure control over the potential exposure of the virus throughout the league. Now outbreaks have been spreading through clubs like wildfire, forcing the NFL to postpone games and update their COVID-19 protocols in an attempt to get players under the protocol back to the field quicker.
It seems impossible to be able to keep up with the constantly growing list, but in an attempt to make sure every player and coach is reported, here is a list of NFL players and coaches in the league’s COVID protocols (updated as of 5:30 ET, 12/17/21):
Arizona Cardinals (one player)
Atlanta Falcons (three players)
- OLB Emmanuel Ellerbee
- Practice Squad DB Cornell Armstrong
- Practice Squad OLB Quinton Bell
Baltimore Ravens (five players)
- S Chuck Clark
- C Trystan Colon
- Practice Squad RB Nate McCrary
- Practice Squad WR Jaylon Moore
- Practice Squad WR Binjimen Victor
Buffalo Bills (two players)
- LB Tyrel Dodson
- T Dion Dawkins
Carolina Panthers (two players)
Chicago Bears (thirteen players)
- OL Larry Bloom
- DB Artie Burns
- WR Isaiah Coulter
- QB Andy Dalton
- DL Mario Edwards Jr.
- DL Eddie Goldman
- LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
- DB Eddie Jackson
- TE Jesse James
- LB Sam Kamara
- RB Ryan Nall
- WR Allen Robinson II
- DB Duke Shelley
Cincinnati Bengals (two players)
- DB Chidobe Awuzie
- LB Clay Johnston
Cleveland Browns (twenty-three players, one coach)
- HC Kevin Stefanski
- S Grant Delpit
- LB Tony Fields II
- G Drew Forbes
- P Jamie Gillan
- CB A.J. Green
- S Ronnie Harrison Jr.
- CB Troy Hill
- TE Austin Hooper
- RB Kareem Hunt
- S John Johnson III
- QB Case Keenum
- WR Jarvis Landry
- QB Baker Mayfield
- DT Malik McDowell
- DE Takkarist McKinley
- DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- LB Jacob Phillips
- G Wyatt Teller
- T Jedrick Wills Jr.
- LB Mack Wilson
- Practice Squad S Nate Meadors
- Practice Squad WR JoJo Natson
- Practice Squad TE Ross Travis
Dallas Cowboys (one player)
Denver Broncos (four players)
- RB Mike Boone
- S P.J. Locke
- OLB Malik Reed
- Practice Squad WR Seth Williams
Detroit Lions (two players)
- DB Jalen Elliott
- TE TJ Hockenson
Green Bay Packers (one player)
- DL Kenny Clark
Houston Texans (nine players)
- DB Terrence Brooks
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
- LB Christian Kirksey
- OL Justin McCray
- DB Terrance Mitchell
- DB A.J. Moore Jr.
- DL DeMarcus Walker
- Practice Squad DB Cre’von LeBlanc
- Practice Squad RB Jaylen Samuels
Indianapolis Colts (one player)
Kansas City Chiefs (two players)
- LB Willie Gay
- DT Chris Jones
Los Angeles Chargers (two players)
Los Angeles Rams (twenty-nine players)
- OL Tremayne Anchrum Jr.
- WR Odell Beckham Jr.
- LB Antoine Brooks Jr.
- S Terrell Burgess
- CB Dont’e Deayon
- OL Jamil Demby
- OL Bobby Evans
- S Jordan Fuller
- S Jake Gervase
- OL Rob Havenstein
- RB Darrell Henderson Jr.
- TE Tyler Higbee
- LB Justin Hollins
- TE Brycen Hopkins
- S JuJu Hughes
- OL AJ Jackson
- DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
- OLB Von Miller
- TE Johnny Mundt
- OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
- TE Jared Pinkney
- CB Jalen Ramsey
- ILB Troy Reeder
- Practice Squad DB Grant Haley
- Practice Squad DB Tyler Hall
- Practice Squad OLB Justin Lawler
- Practice Squad DB Kareem Orr
- Practice Squad LB Christian Rozeboom
- Practice Squad DL Jonah Williams
Miami Dolphins (four players)
- S Jevon Holland
- RB Phillip Lindsay
- WR Jaylen Waddle
- Practice Squad RB Gerrid Doaks
Minnesota Vikings (seven players)
- WR Dan Chisena
- DE Danielle Hunter
- RB Alexander Mattison
- WR Dede Westbrook
- Practice Squad G Kyle Hinton
- Practice Squad WR Trishton Jackson
- Practice Squad RB A.J. Rose Jr.
New Orleans Saints (one coach)
- HC Sean Payton
New York Giants (nine players)
- LB Cam Brown
- CB Adoree’ Jackson
- S Xavier McKinney
- DB J.R. Reed
- CB Aaron Robinson
- WR John Ross
- WR Kadarius Toney
- LB Oshane Ximines
- Practice Squad DB Natrell Jamerson
New York Jets (five players)
- CB Justin Hardee
- WR Elijah Moore
- LB Hamsah Nasirildeen
- WR Jeff Smith
- QB Mike White
Philadelphia Eagles (two players)
- RB Jason Huntley
- WR Quez Watkins
Pittsburgh Steelers (two players)
- DT Montravius Adams
- Practice Squad DB Linden Stephens
Seattle Seahawks (two players)
- RB Alex Collins
- WR Tyler Lockett
Tennessee Titans (two players)
- WR Dez Fitzpatrick
- Practice Squad S Jamal Carter
Washington Football Team (twenty-four players)
- DT Jonathan Allen
- QB Kyle Allen
- S Troy Apke
- DE Will Bradley-King
- S Kamren Curl
- LB Milo Eifler
- S Darrick Forrest
- CB Kendall Fuller
- QB Taylor Heinicke
- TE Temarrick Hemingway
- LB Khaleke Hudson
- DT Matt Ioannidis
- C Keith Ismael
- C Tyler Larsen
- T Cornelius Lucas
- LB David Mayo
- TE Sammis Reyes
- DT Tim Settle
- WR Cam Sims
- RB Wendell Smallwood
- DE James Smith-Williams
- DE Montez Sweat
- DE Casey Toohill
- DT Daniel Wise
Jaguars Fire Urban Meyer
Despite signing a five-year contract to coach the Jaguars out of mediocrity, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that, after only eleven months, Urban Meyer is no longer the head coach in Jacksonville. Urban had a bit of a rocky debut season in the NFL, going a paltry 2-11 in a year full of controversy. The firing comes a little over a month after Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan was reportedly “all in” on the first-year head coach. 
Meyer was a headline hire for Jacksonville, replacing Doug Marrone as head coach shortly after the Jaguars had secured the worst record in the 2020 NFL season. Meyer had shown his abilities as an accomplished coach in the college ranks, winning three national titles between his years in Gainesville and Columbus. The value of his five-year deal was never officially confirmed, but reports claimed that Meyer was asking for $12MM annually, which would have made him the second-highest paid coach in the NFL under Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichek.
The Meyer-era didn’t take long before showing it’s sour potential. In July, the Jaguars were one of three teams penalized for violating the CBA rules for offseason workouts. The Jaguars were fined a nominal $200K and Meyer was handed a $100K fine, as well. Not two weeks later, Meyer was subpoenaed by the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Iowa in relation to Chris Doyle, the former University of Iowa strength coach who left the school to join Meyer’s staff in Jacksonville. Doyle was the subject of a $20MM racial discrimination civil lawsuit filed by eight former Iowa players. The hiring of Doyle, itself, had created a slew of backlash. Meyer drew yet another offseason headline with comments that COVID-19 vaccination statuses were being considered when trimming the team’s roster down to 53 players, leading to an investigation by the NFLPA.
In October, Meyer once again found himself under fire after a viral video surfaced showing him with a young woman at his restaurant in Columbus. The Jaguars had just played a Thursday night game in Cincinnati. After the loss to the Bengals, Meyer didn’t fly back to Florida with the team, electing to stay in Ohio to visit family. Meyer claimed he had gone with family members to the restaurant where the viral video had been recorded. He spent the following Monday apologizing to the team, his family, and Khan.
Since then, there have been several reports of discontent within the Jaguars’ organization, with the most recent coming from kicker Josh Lambo who spoke about a preseason incident in which the Jaguars’ coach kicked Lambo while he was stretching. From continuous rumors that Meyer could have interest in open college coaching jobs to expectations that Meyer would fire the entire staff at the end of the season, it’s safe to say that the Meyer-Jacksonville partnership has not gone according to plan.
Ian Rapoport, of NFL Network, was quick to follow Schefter in tweeting that, with Meyer out, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as head coach in an interim capacity. Bevell is in his 21st year of coaching in the NFL, with previous stints as the quarterbacks coach in Green Bay and the offensive coordinator in Minnesota, Seattle, and Detroit. Bevell actually has experience as an interim head coach, having led the Detroit Lions to a 1-4 finish following the firing of then-head coach Matt Patricia just last year. The Jaguars’ offense has struggled under Bevell with a rookie quarterback and an identical offensive line to the line from 2020 that helped Jacksonville earn the number one overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. They currently rank 30th in total offense and 31st in scoring offense.
Bevell should have a soft opening term as interim coach in Jacksonville, with matchups against the Texans and Jets, before finishing the season with the Patriots and Colts. Meanwhile, we’ll have to wait and see just how genuine the college interest in Meyer was as the mired coach navigates the aftermath of a tumultuous 2021 campaign.
NFL’s 2022 Salary Cap To Reach $208.2MM
December 14th, 6:58pm: The NFL has officially informed clubs that the 2022 cap will indeed be projected at $208.2MM, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
December 5th, 3:02pm: Back in May, the NFL and NFL Players Association met in May and agreed to a salary cap for the 2022 season of $208.2MM. There was some speculation that the numbers may change based on a few different factors, and while the official, final number has not been announced, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report that it’s expected to be revealed at the NFL’s annual labor seminar next week that the cap will indeed reach the all-time high mark of $208.2MM.
The league’s previous high was in 2020 at $198.2MM. The cap had shown consistent growth each year with an average annual increase from 2013-2020 of $10.74MM per year. This trend was disrupted by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic which caused a loss of gate revenue and other income for the league. Because of those setbacks, the salary cap was reduced to $182.5MM for the 2021 season. The nearly $16MM cap reduction is not a complete reflection of the revenue lost by the NFL last year, since the NFL and NFLPA came to an agreement to spread out the anticipated losses over several years, as opposed to incurring it all at once.
The $10MM increase from the league’s previous high is about what the league expected the 2021 salary cap to rise to before the pandemic. This return to the expected increase doesn’t necessarily reflect a return to normalcy. It’s more of a sign of what may be to come as the losses from last year are already being offset by a potential increase in future revenue. The NFL is seeing, and will continue to see, an increase in revenue from the addition of a 17th game in the regular season, expanded playoffs, an influx of new gambling money, new TV deals, and many other new revenue streams.
It is even expected that the 2023 season will see another significant increase to the salary cap. The NFLPA is still recovering, paying back the league for what was essentially a low-interest loan that allowed players to continue making full salaries and bonuses last year, in addition to paying back players for benefits that were canceled in 2020, like performance-based pay, Pro Bowl pay, and tuition pay. But an increase is still to be expected when media “kickers” from the 2020 collective bargaining agreements are put into effect as money comes in from new TV deals. The “kickers” should increase the players’ share of revenue from 48% to as high as 48.8%.
The biggest takeaway from all of this should be that the moves and decisions made by both the league and the union show confidence that the league is done being affected financially by the global pandemic and that both sides are doing everything they can to protect the players from feeling that financial burden.