07-28-2021, 11:03 AM
Just a clarification, the salary cap is not the amount of money spent by a team on players but rather an accounting tool for the league to get some sort of level playing field. For instance, the large signing bonuses that were handed out during free agency last year are prorated across the life of the contract in cap terms but the cash payment occurs during that year. The real money spent on the players is some combination of base salary, seasonal bonuses, and any extensions or signings that year that had signing bonuses, which most likely all combined exceeded the actual cap.
