Salary cap skyrockets in NFL to $255.4M

The NFL’s salary cap for 2024 will be $255.4 million, up a record $30.6 million from last year.

The cap number has gone from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 following the COVID19 pandemic. It increased to $208.2 million in 2022 and $224.8 million last year.

“The unprecedented $30 million increase per club in this year’s salary cap is the result of the full repayment of all amounts advanced by the clubs and deferred by the players during the Covid pandemic as well as an extraordinary increase in media revenue for the 2024 season,” the league said in a statement.

Teams are heading into next week’s NFL combine and preparing for the free agency period to open March 13 with an opportunity to spend more freely.

The increased cap total could impact how teams use the franchise tag. The 15-day window to apply the tag to impending free agents began on Feb. 20.

Baseball: The bronze cleats from a Jackie Robinson statue that was cut at the ankles and stolen last month will be donated to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, the league’s executive director told ESPN on Friday.

The Professional Fighters League is set to become the first major MMA promotion to hold a card in Saudi Arabia. Mike Tyson will be on hand Saturday to present the winner of three title fights in the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator: Champs card with a custom championship belt.

MMA:

Bulls forward Patrick Williams will have season-ending surgery on his left foot, the team said Friday.

NBA:

NHL: The Coyotes have put forward Adam Ruzicka on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract. The move comes after Ruzicka posted to social media a video of a himself with a white powder appearing to be cocaine and a credit card on a counter.