What’s fascinating about aggressive spending for an NFL team is that it leaves little breathing room after the fact. Once a general manager pushes their poker hand in, that defines the end of an assertive ideal: for at least a few seasons. The nature of the salary cap, which according to the NFL Player’s Association will award roughly $177.2 million to each NFL team in 2018, necessitates that dramatic tinkering doesn’t happen once you’ve designated your hopeful winning core. Get the players you want in your building, and you’re stuck with them barring the structure of their contracts.
Smart money: Bears’ potential cap casualties to monitor after 2018
