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sports Saturday 5 March 2022
Escaping salary cap trouble is a true trick of the NFL trade

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New Aaron Rodgers, whose
Minnesota Vikings general cap hit of more than $46
manager Kwesi Adofo- million for 2022 would al-
Mensah worked eight years most certainly be lowered
on Wall Street, in between with a contract extension
economics degrees from if he returns. All-Pro wide
Princeton and Stanford. receiver Davante Adams
Yet he still found himself can become a free agent,
chasing a challenge, into so they'd have to fit him in,
the controlled-market fi- too.
nancial arena of pro foot- That means restructuring
ball roster building. more veteran deals, as
The first offseason for Adofo- they've already done with
Mensah with the Vikings will defensive tackle Kenny
be a tall task. They're fac- Clark, or flat out releas-
ing a $45 million salary cap ing accomplished play-
charge on the final year of ers. Outside linebacker
quarterback Kirk Cousins' Za'Darius Smith could well
existing contract, and their be one of those, with cap
current commitments proj- relief of more than $15 mil-
ect to be more than $15 lion if released.
million over the cap. The Cowboys are now deal-
"There's a little bit of art, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) runs on the field before an NFL football game ing with the welcomed-
there's a little bit of science. against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in Minneapolis. but-daunting ramifications
That's what makes the Associated Press of having a franchise quar-
puzzle fun," Adofo-Mensah terback, Dak Prescott, on
said. "Honestly, that's what year than last year, success NFL salary tracking website, in the case of the Rams, his second contract. They
drew me to this sport, and in the fall and winter will as of Thursday the Saints winning it all — that comes could create $16 million
it's why I think all of us love require creative and cou- are approximately $42 mil- in subsequent years in the in cap space by cutting
competing at the highest rageous decisions in the lion over the threshold, fol- form of cap challenges. wide receiver Amari Coo-
level." spring. Bigger cap increas- lowed by the Packers ($31 "The pandemic certainly per and another $8 million
The salary cap for 2022 is es are coming once the million), Cowboys ($22 mil- threw a wrench into every- by dumping defensive end
projected at $208.2 million new media rights deals kick lion), Rams ($21 million) and thing as far as the salary DeMarcus Lawrence. The
per team, a $25.7 million in for 2023, but that windfall Vikings. Not only do teams cap numbers and they'd problem is those are two vi-
spike from last year. The won't help the Vikings now. need to get under the cap be so steady for so long," tal players.
pandemic-related revenue The same goes for the New for compliance, they must Packers general manager "We can have another
drop during the empty-sta- Orleans Saints, Green Bay save space for draft picks, Brian Gutekunst said. "You good roster again, but
dium season of 2020 trig- Packers, Dallas Cowboys and that's before signing kind of had that comfort- we're going to have to
gered an unprecedented and Super Bowl champion any new players on the ing feeling of where it's go- massage this and we're not
$15.7 million decrease for Los Angeles Rams, the four market. ing to be. When that got going to be able to keep
2021. Contracts negotiated other teams whose cap Those five NFC teams went changed, with where our everybody, and we're go-
prior to COVID-19's descen- situations are the furthest in a combined 54-31 last sea- team was at, it made it a ing to have to be efficient
dance on the league were the red with less than two son, and the Packers, Cow- little more difficult. We're in free agency and we're
also calculated with the weeks before free agency boys and Rams accounted very hopeful we're coming going to have to be effi-
customary rise in mind. begins. for three of the NFL's six best out of that." cient in the draft," Cowboys
While the overall land- According to figures com- records. There's usually a The Packers are waiting for executive Stephen Jones
scape looks smoother this piled by Over the Cap, an price for contending — and word from four-time MVP said.q

MLB players start $1M fund for workers

impacted by lockout

NEW YORK (AP) — Locked- fred on Tuesday canceled know that they have our
out Major League Base- the first two series for each support." The union listed
ball players are starting a team during the regular broadcast and conces-
$1 million fund to support season, scheduled to start sion crews, electricians,
workers impacted by can- March 31. "Many aren't ushers, security, trans-
celed games. The players' seen or heard, but they portation and janitors as
association said Friday the are vital to the entertain- among those needed for
fund will be administered ment experience of our MLB games. "This fund is
by the union and the AFL- games," union executive intended to support work-
CIO. It will be distributed to board members Andrew ers who are most affected
stadium workers and oth- Miller and Max Scherzer by the MLB-imposed lock-
ers caused financial hard- said in a statement. "Un- out but whose livelihoods Tony Clark, second from left, executive director of the base-
ship by baseball's ninth fortunately, they will also have been disregarded by ball players association, appears at a news conference with
work stoppage, which was be among those affected the owners in their efforts pitcher Andrew Miller, left, Bruce Meyer, chief union negotia-
in its 93rd day. Spring train- by the owner-imposed to pressure players into ac- tor, second from right, and New York Mets pitcher Max Scher-
zer, right, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Jupiter, Fla. Major League
ing games failed to start lockout and the cancella- cepting an unfair deal," Baseball has canceled opening day.
as scheduled on Feb. 26. tion of games. Through this union head Tony Clark said Associated Press
Commissioner Rob Man- fund, we want to let them in a statement.q