Whats unique about an “uncapped” year?
For the first time since 1993, the NFL will operate without a salary cap. A bookkeeping formula based on salaries, bonuses and contract lengths, the cap has dictated that players receive a percentage of increasing revenue. Last season’s cap was $123 million (excluding an additional cash-adjustment of nearly $5 million that previously rolled into the following year’s cap). For the 2010 season, there is no limit on how much teams can spend on player salaries. But there’s also no minimum or “salary floor” that was part of the cap system. Last year’s floor was $107.7 million. Rules for an uncapped year also mandate that a player must accrue six seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent rather than four — a major twist expected to restrict 212 players with expired contracts in this year’s market. Also, “final eight” rules limit options in signing free agents for the eight teams that advanced to the divisional playoffs in January, the most stringent rules applying to the final four
