NFL teams brace for tight budgets with likely salary cap cut

Matt Patterson

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) is seen during pregame warmups before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Houston. It’s too early to know where the NFL salary cap will end up in the range of $180 million to $198 million coming off a pandemic-dominated season that was completed on time but still cost the league billions of dollars in revenue. Although Houston and star defensive end J.J. Watt said his release was a mutual decision, it might have happened regardless with the 32-year-old set to make $15.5 million while the guaranteed money had already been paid in the $100 million, six-year extension he signed in 2014.