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Panthers Have Lowest Payroll In NFL
This Season At Just Under $77M |
Unrestricted by a salary cap this season, NFL teams "resisted the temptation to break the bank on player salaries," according to Rachel Cohen of the AP. Figures provided by the NFLPA revealed that the league's average payroll "increased by a modest 6 percent from last year," which is the "same amount it grew between 2007 and '08 with the salary cap in existence." Ten franchises have payrolls of more than $125M this season, up from three in '09, while 12 teams are below $110M, the same number as last year. Nineteen of the 32 franchises increased their payroll from '09 to '10, and the average payroll is now just under $116M, up from more than $109M last year. The Redskins "own the league's largest payroll" at $145M, while the Panthers "bring up the rear this season at just under" $77M. The payroll figures "differ from those that would be used for salary-cap purposes," as the NFLPA's numbers represent the "total amount of money paid by teams to players in each year." For salary-cap calculations, "signing bonuses are spread out over the length of a contract." Cohen writes a "glance at the payroll figures reinforces a lesson from Major League Baseball, whose luxury tax can't fully eliminate the gap between rich and poor: Spending doesn't necessarily guarantee success" (AP, 12/3).
