The big expectation across the NFL this offseason is that the salary cap will decrease and teams across the league will turn to the middle class in order to come into compliance with cap requirements. The middle class had already long been shrinking, with the rookie wage scale of the 2011 CBA making it far less expensive for teams to use younger players on cost-controlled rookie contracts to build out depth on the roster. However, with multiple teams across the league looking at possibly needing to trim tens of millions of dollars in cap commitments for 2021, one group that could unexpectedly see itself at a disadvantage when crunch time comes at roster cuts in September is fourth year players.
How fourth year players could be squeezed by a cap crunch
