Salary Cap An Issue For The Raiders

The Raiders are expected to be $10.5 million over the salary cap. That'll need to change before the end of free agency

Free agency is well underway and while the Las Vegas Raiders are beginning to get their players together, there’s one looming issue over their heads.

The salary cap.

Raider Maven Editor and Publisher Hondo Carpenter has been discussing this since Week 6 this season. 

One NFL general manager told Carpenter then: "What is coming is a salary cap apocalypse.  The Raiders are over, but the good news for them is they have structured and strategically placed themselves in a great spot to get below it."

The general manager went on to say: "It could go as low as a $30-million dollar loss, but I would anticipate it being closer to $20 million."

While typically the salary cap is something teams dance and tip-toe around, this year, due to the pandemic, the numbers are lower than previous seasons.

According to Over the Cap, the Raiders are projected to be $10.5 million over the salary cap after the 2021 free agency.

Due to the pandemic, most games were played without fans in attendance. Due to this, teams took a massive hit on income from game days.

Currently, the salary cap for this season is expected to be at $176 million.

That is down $22.2 million from last season.

The NFL and NFLPA agreed for a base salary cap floor of $175 million for this season.

During a typical season, the Raiders have just under $10 million to wiggle their way through contract negotiations.

However, with the loss of just over $20 million in salary space, not only do the Raiders have to restructure contracts but also get the necessary players, especially defensively, for as cheap as possible.

Talk about making a hard task even harder.

General Manager Mike Mayock is working around the clock figuring out the best way to get the necessary players to Las Vegas while staying within the allotted cap.

As for Raider Nation, all we can do right now is wait and see what kind of free agency moves the Raiders decide to make.

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