The New Orleans Saints have always been noted for their mastery of navigated the NFL salary cap. Restructures, void years, escalators, they have always received attention for their monetary gymnastics. It was no different in 2021 when the salary cap took a dive for the first time since it was implemented in 1994. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic limiting, and in many cases eliminating, fan attendance across the league, revenue took a big hit.
Thus, the 2021 salary cap fell from $198.2M in 2020 to $182.5M in 2021. This was after parties had agreed upon a “floor” or minimum to which the cap could drop.