The NFL’s calendar has shifted into the first week of the regular season, with the Kansas City Chiefs set to host the Houston Texans on Thursday, Sept. 10. This transition from preseason and training camp into the next 17-week stretch brings many changes for NFL teams: including the salary cap accounting.
During the offseason, only the top 51 contracts are counted against the cap. But now all 53 players signed to teams are on the books, leaving the New Orleans Saints at an estimated $4.2 million beneath the salary cap, per Spotrac. That number is flexible and will change slightly in the days ahead as the Saints shuffle players on and off of the roster, but it’s close to the numbers they’re working with internally.