This is probably worth its own thread, but I'll start it here since all I really care about is how it affects the New England Patriots.
For the next couple of weeks, the drama we saw with MLB will start to play out in the NFL as they work on their protocols. Much of this discussion is likely to obscure another rather enormous issue that will affect teams and players significantly. Under the current CBA, the cap is not static. Revenues, including gate for the games, really matter. We've all become accustomed to the cap working as a ratchet wrench that is set to only go one way since revenues keep expanding. With many teams already stating they will have at least and 80 percent reduction in ticket sales this year, and with the prospect that not all teams will even be able to complete 16 games let alone with fans in the stadium, projections currently put the cap at $40 million to $70 million lower next year.
That will disproportionately affect teams depending on their current cap composition and whether they even have the ability to shave $40 million to $70 million.
From reading the twitterverse it seems like everyone is just expecting that what will happen is that this will be a one-year impact and the parties will simply agree to spread the one-year blip over several years. is that a given? I guess at least without thinking about it too hard that's what players are going to want. Otherwise, teams are going to end up cutting veterans in huge numbers. And I think it's going to be what most fans want. I don't think anyone wants to see a bunch of one-year contracts where superstars are playing for less than their value, and watching teams have to cut all but their very top veterans.
But is it what the owners want? I assume that they are going to act in their own self-interest and that what is good for the game might not be good for each team, at least in the short run, when they are not similarly situated. And even if the impact is smoothed over several years a $10 or $15 million impact will be hard on some teams next year. It feels to me as though the Patriots will be in decent position on this since they have some cap flexibility next year. But I really don't know. It's going to be a major story of the 2021 season.