There is one question that’s so central to an NFL General Manager’s role that it’s practically a mandatory daily consideration: How can I field the best roster possible this season, without sacrificing future years’ rosters?
One of the best ways to do that is by managing cap space wisely. The NFL’s salary cap has been exploding in the last decade+, aside from a down year from the pandemic, but having more money available doesn’t make good decisions any easier. It’s still vitally important to nail the annual value and length of contracts, to manage guarantees, and to limit the team’s exposure to dead cap.