While the exact number of the 2015 salary cap will not be determined until after the season, NFL teams were notified recently by the NFL Management Council about the specifics of the formula to determine the upcoming franchise tag totals, which have been obtained. Under this collective bargaining agreement, the equation to determine the figures are based upon a certain percentage of the overall cap number that is designated to each position group for its franchise figure. Those percentages were released and, at this point, teams are beginning their projections for what it would cost to keep certain talent under the tag.
Several salary cap experts said they project the 2015 cap to be between $141 million to $144 million (it is $133 million in 2014), and thus, when applying the positional percentages a team can determine the exact value of what each tag will require.
Right now, there is a quality group of young elite talent that is unsigned beyond this season, and no shortage of candidates for the franchise tag. Pending them receiving contract extensions that group would be highlighted by Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Justin Houston and Devin McCourty.
For these purposes we will project a cap of $142 million but once the cap is set (which generally occurs in February), these percentages could be applied to that figure to determine a concrete amount:
QB: 12.942% of the cap
Total based on a $142M cap: $18.38M
2014 Total: $16.91M
OL: 9.034 %
Total based on $142M cap: $12.83M
2014 Total: $11.65M
WR: 8.949%
Total based on $142M cap: $12.71M
2014 Total: $12.31M
RB: 7.643%
Total based on $142M cap: $10.85M
2014 Total: $9.54M
TE: $5.825%
Total based on $142M cap: $8.27M
2014 Total: $7.035M
K/P: 2.88%
Total based on $142M cap: $4.09M
2014 Total: $3.56M
DE: 10.339%
Total based on $142M cap: $14.68M
2014 Total: $13.12M
LB: 9.209%
Total based on $142M cap: $13.08M
2014 Total: $11.46M
CB: 9.125%
Total based on $142M cap: $12.96M
2014 Total: $11.83M
DT: 7.812%
Total based on $142M cap: $11.09M
2014 Total: $9.65M
S: 6.713%
Total based on $142M cap: $9.53M
2014 Total: $8.44M
