The NFL will begin exploring signing a national casino sponsorship, league officials will tell owners today, a source said. Owners gather today in Irving, Texas, for a one-day meeting, and sports gambling is on the agenda. MLB, the NHL and the NBA each have reached a national sponsorship with gaming operator MGM. The NFL’s approach will resemble what it has allowed for its teams: a casino deal but with no direct ties to gaming. The NFL earlier this year opened the casino category, with several teams having already struck deals, including the Jets and Cowboys.
Meanwhile, the NFL notified clubs yesterday that the '19 salary cap is projected to rise a minimum of $10M per club to a range of $187-191.1M. The cap will be formally set at the start of the new league year in March ‘19. This is the sixth consecutive season the cap has risen by at least $10M per club. The clubs also pay benefits, which often total $35-40M per club. After this season, there are two years remaining on the 10-year CBA.
NFL.com notes the "uncomfortable topics" of player conduct around the Kareem Hunt and Reuben Foster cases are "likely to surface" at the meeting.
