New Orleans Saints projected to sneak under the 2022 NFL salary cap

The New Orleans Saints front office will be breathing a sigh of relief with the news that the NFL salary cap could rise by almost 14 percent in 2022. According to reports, the NFL players association has agreed to a salary cap ceiling of $208.2 million in 2022.

So where does the salary cap announcement leave the New Orleans Saints?

New Orleans Saints 2022 salary cap situation

Over the Cap has the New Orleans franchise projected to have $207.6 million against the cap. This means that they will be less than one million dollars under the 2022 cap ceiling.

Now before Saints fans start celebrating like it’s Madri Gras week, it’s highly unlikely the salary cap will be as high as the ceiling (so less than $208.2 million). This means that the Saints front office will have work to do to get them cap-compliant next season.

All teams are looking for as much cap space as possible, including those already heavy on the books. 6 teams already have cap commitments north of $200M for 2022, via @Jason_OTC:1. Packers: $237M2. Cowboys: $228M3. Rams: $212M4. Saints: $208M5. Giants: $202M6. Bills: $201M https://t.co/kXNd0bnGpR

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 26, 2021

Upcoming NFL free agents in 2022

New Orleans has multiple free-agent players to sign or move on from in 2022. These include star safety Marcus Williams, All-Pro left tackle Terron Armstead, quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Taysum Hill, cornerback Marshon Lattimore plus more lesser-known squad members.

Another year, another cap juggling act in New Orleans

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and his front office have become salary cap savants. They will have to again wave their magic wand to get the Saints under the salary cap in 2022.

Even with so many free agents coming up next year, they do have a few players under contract they can restructure like Michael Thomas and Cam Jordan.

Salary cap expected to rise in 2023

Most NFL salary cap experts are predicting that the cap will again jump significantly in 2023. Once the effects of the pandemic have settled, the new broadcasting deal will be kicking in and sold-out stadiums would be expected throughout 2021 and 2022.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters today that he has a “tremendous amount of optimism and excitement that we’ll have full stadiums across our league this season.”

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 26, 2021

The New Orleans Saints may not have to live in salary cap purgatory for much longer.