Here is a look at the salary cap and contract dollars sitting on reserve lists in week 1 of the 2021 NFL season. The numbers include players on injured reserve, PUP, and the covid list. They do not include players on NFI or who are suspended. These numbers will change each week as new players are added to IR and some are removed and re-activated.
The Jets, Saints and Ravens are the teams most impacted by bad luck before the season even began while the Bills, Chargers, Chiefs, and Bengals are off to a good start.
| Team | Salary Cap | Annual Contact Value |
| Jets | $33,326,111 | $34,962,576 |
| Saints | $21,129,755 | $31,816,798 |
| Ravens | $21,989,154 | $29,183,136 |
| Cowboys | $20,039,231 | $26,157,917 |
| Packers | $12,666,543 | $24,700,000 |
| Patriots | $25,415,523 | $22,761,072 |
| Lions | $12,006,883 | $20,428,164 |
| Steelers | $14,300,291 | $20,399,958 |
| Colts | $16,040,029 | $16,596,279 |
| Cardinals | $16,890,667 | $15,934,833 |
| Bears | $9,782,416 | $15,096,962 |
| Football Team | $5,336,936 | $13,902,769 |
| Titans | $9,265,787 | $13,623,055 |
| Giants | $7,213,106 | $10,392,633 |
| Raiders | $9,578,333 | $9,370,000 |
| Falcons | $8,954,012 | $9,075,262 |
| Broncos | $6,016,529 | $9,059,689 |
| Texans | $8,165,382 | $8,796,926 |
| Vikings | $6,977,087 | $8,241,970 |
| Dolphins | $6,574,364 | $8,150,189 |
| Jaguars | $6,481,233 | $7,533,267 |
| 49ers | $8,060,643 | $7,231,794 |
| Eagles | $4,918,700 | $6,907,184 |
| Seahawks | $5,234,535 | $6,477,256 |
| Buccaneers | $4,941,267 | $6,383,767 |
| Browns | $4,164,925 | $5,846,745 |
| Panthers | $3,090,147 | $4,568,897 |
| Rams | $3,078,840 | $3,902,591 |
| Bengals | $1,926,064 | $2,870,523 |
| Chiefs | $2,697,965 | $2,817,762 |
| Chargers | $1,915,000 | $2,308,333 |
| Bills | $1,152,302 | $1,833,135 |
Jason is the founder of OTC and has been studying NFL contracts and the salary cap for over 15 years. Jason has co-authored two books about the NFL, Crunching Numbers and the Drafting Stage, which are widely circulated in the industry and hosts the OTC Podcast. Jason’s work has been featured in various publications including the Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, NFL Network and more. OTC is widely considered the leading authority on contract matters in the NFL.