Ravens news: How $175 million salary cap in 2021 affects Baltimore

NFL Network just announced the 2021 NFL salary cap will drop to $175 million, meaning the Ravens will have to get a bit creative with their roster.

The Baltimore Ravens having a top-tier quarterback, Lamar Jackson, on a rookie contract has plenty of merits, and those benefits are certainly going to reveal themselves in 2021.

On Friday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported the league is going to drop its 2021 NFL salary cap from the $198-plus million it’s at right now to $175 million next season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the expected revenue loss to follow.

Currently, according to Over the Cap, Baltimore has just over $7.5 million in available cap space in 2020, with all its rookie NFL Draft class now signed, and any remainder of that by the end of th the upcoming season could roll over into the 2021 number, which is a plus. A number of teams, such as the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles, were well over the once-anticipated $215 million NFL salary cap for 2021 while the Ravens were anticipated to be $63,475,028 under that number.

So that’s good news.

Ravens’ immediate impact from 2021 NFL salary cap

The more important number to look at for Baltimore, and all the other teams for that matter, is the total amount of liabilities for 2021. Currently, the Ravens have $159,332,801 tied up in liabilities for next season, putting the amount of cap space just over $16 million in addition to any rollover amount stemming from 2020. What’ll count the most, however, is the top-51 contracts which amount to $151,524,972 and have to be in place by the start of the league’s new year this upcoming March.

A rough estimate of $20 million in space is probably safe for general manager Eric DeCosta and Co., and one could guess Baltimore won’t be faced with any drastic roster alterations anytime soon. Veteran defensive linemen like Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell could potentially be 2021 cap casualties if the team wanted/needed to free up space, especially with a post-June 1 cut designation, which would save almost $20 million. But the kicker is Jackson’s rookie deal, which has all but absolved the Ravens from needing to do anything dramatic.

Where things could get challenging, though, is figuring how just how long a reduced salary cap will last. Pelissero’s report stated the league was planning on absorbing revenue loss over a four-year period, which could make Jackson’s inevitable extension, on the table in 2021, much more challenging.

Fortunately for DeCosta, that’s a problem the Ravens don’t exactly have to worry about right away, and they should have relatively few issues competing for a playoff berth this season without having to worry about cap implications.