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A look at pro sports' salary caps this decade

Kendall Baker, author of Sports
Expand chart
Data: Real GM (NBA); Spotrac (NFL); Puckpedia (NHL); Chart: Axios Visuals

Over the past decade, the NFL, NBA and NHL salary caps (i.e. limits on how much money teams can spend on players) have all increased, but at fairly different rates.

By the numbers: The NFL salary cap has jumped from $120 million to $188.2 million this decade, a 57% increase. The NBA's has jumped from $58 million to $109.1 million (+88%) and the NHL's has jumped from $59.4 million to $81.5 million (+37%).

  • What's next: The NFL informed teams yesterday that projections for the 2020-21 salary cap are in the range of $196.8 million to $201.2 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The NBA's latest projection is $116 million, while the NHL hasn't released one.

Chart notes:

  • NFL: The 2010-11 season was played without a salary cap thanks to the impending end of the CBA.
  • NBA: Between 2014 and 2016, the NBA's salary cap skyrocketed from $63.07 million to $94.14 million — a direct result of the nine-year, $24 billion contract it signed with ESPN and TNT, nearly three times the value of the prior deal.
  • NHL: There was a lockout during the 2012-13 season, which resulted in a smaller salary cap for the shortened campaign and caused the small dip you see above.

Go deeper: Baseball's luxury tax has become a salary cap

Go deeper

Lachlan Markay
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Collins helps contractor before pro-Susan PAC gets donation

Sen. Susan Collins during her reelection campaign. Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images

A PAC backing Sen. Susan Collins in her high-stakes reelection campaign received $150,000 from an entity linked to the wife of a defense contractor whose firm Collins helped land a federal contract, new public records show.

Why it matters: The executive, Martin Kao of Honolulu, leaned heavily on his political connections to boost his business, federal prosecutors say in an ongoing criminal case against him. The donation linked to Kao was veiled until last week.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Lachlan Markay
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

How cutting GOP corporate cash could backfire

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Companies pulling back on political donations, particularly to members of Congress who voted against certifying President Biden's election win, could inadvertently push Republicans to embrace their party's rightward fringe.

Why it matters: Scores of corporate PACs have paused, scaled back or entirely abandoned their political giving programs. While designed to distance those companies from events that coincided with this month's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, research suggests the moves could actually empower the far-right.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Kaine, Collins pitch Senate colleagues on censuring Trump

Sen. Tim Kaine speaks with Sen. Susan Collins. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP via Getty Images

Sens. Tim Kaine and Susan Collins are privately pitching their colleagues on a bipartisan resolution censuring former President Trump, three sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters: Senators are looking for a way to condemn Trump on the record as it becomes increasingly unlikely Democrats will obtain the 17 Republican votes needed to gain a conviction in his second impeachment.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow

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