Joe Flacco's Contract Is Further Evidence That The NFL Salary Cap Is A Joke

AP

Over the weekend, Joe Flacco agreed to a new contract with the Baltimore Ravens that will make him the highest-paid player in NFL history. But according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter), Flacco will only count as $6.8 million against the cap this season even though he will be paid four times as much as that.

The Ravens are just taking advantage of the salary cap loophole that all teams use. The majority of the $30 million that Flacco will make this season will be given to him as a signing bonus. That allows the Ravens to spread the cap hit out over the life of the contract (six years).

There is nothing illegal about this move. And the signing bonus and salaries will hit the cap harder down the road. But for a team that clearly has the talent to win the Super Bowl again, they just got a $20 million player for $6.8 million price tag. That is a lot of money saved that can be used to fill other needs.