SmashMouth

So if the cap does not increase every year, at some point they run out of wiggle room.

AsylumGuido

Correct. But, that has happened just one time in the history of the cap and was able to be absorbed. The new broadcast contracts guarantee the cap will continue to grow at an even faster pace through the 2033 season. Of course, another pandemic could happen, I suppose. More and more clubs are starting to structure contracts, especially the big ones, to take advantage of the current versus future value concept that the Saints' Loomis and Khai Harley have been using for years.

Check out the roster bonuses built into Mahomes' contract. He has $315.5 million in remaining roster bonuses built into it that can automatically be converted annually into signing bonuses and prorated into future periods through the 2032 season. It's not a coincidence that this corresponds to the term of the new broadcast contracts and projected cap explosion:

YEAR		AGE	BASE SALARY	SIGNING	ROSTER	WORKOUT	RESTRUCTURE	CAP HIT	DEAD CAP	YEARLY CASH
2020	Contract details by year	25	$825,000	$4,521,508	-	-	-	$5,346,508	$64,953,413
$10,926,636
($10,926,636)
2021	Contract details by year	26	$990,000	$2,000,000	-	$100,000	$4,343,381	$7,433,381	$99,506,905
$22,806,905
($33,733,541)
2022	Contract details by year	27	$1,500,000	$2,000,000	$27,400,000	$550,000	$4,343,381	$35,793,381	$92,173,524
$29,450,000
($63,183,541)
2023	Contract details by year	28	$5,500,000	$2,000,000	$34,400,000	$550,000	$4,343,381	$46,793,381	$56,930,143
$40,450,000
($103,633,541)
2024	Contract details by year	29	$2,500,000	$2,000,000	$34,900,000	$550,000	$4,343,381	$44,293,381	$10,686,762
$37,950,000
($141,583,541)
2025	Contract details by year	30	$2,500,000	-	$38,900,000	$550,000	$4,343,381	$46,293,381	$4,343,381
$41,950,000
($183,533,541)
2026	Contract details by year	31	$2,500,000	-	$38,900,000	$550,000	-	$41,950,000	-
$41,950,000
($225,483,541)
2027	Contract details by year	32	$10,000,000	-	$49,400,000	$550,000	-	$59,950,000	-
$59,950,000
($285,433,541)
2028	Contract details by year	33	$13,000,000	-	$30,900,000	$550,000	-	$44,450,000	-
$44,450,000
($329,883,541)
2029	Contract details by year	34	$20,500,000	-	$23,900,000	$550,000	-	$44,950,000	-
$44,950,000
($374,833,541)
2030	Contract details by year	35	$27,000,000	-	$22,900,000	$550,000	-	$50,450,000	-
$50,450,000
($425,283,541)
2031	Contract details by year	36	$38,000,000	-	$13,900,000	$550,000	-	$52,450,000	-
$52,450,000
($477,733,541)

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill