The 25th anniversary of almost anything is usually a big deal, but I suspect there won’t be much of a celebration this time. In fact, few people would remember that the NFL’s salary cap will reach the quarter century mark this month. Nor would they realize that the cap has exploded from a modest $34.6 million in 1994 to $188.2 million this year — more than a five-fold increase.
But the introduction of that unique financial mechanism — which was agreed to during extensive collective bargaining agreement negotiations between former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and former NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw — is one of the most important moments in pro football history.