compete with him.After signing a four-year con

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL’s salary cap will jump $11 million next season to $188.2 million.In the ninth year of the 10-year labor agreement http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jahlani-tavai-jersey , the cap moves up from $177.2 million. It has increased in every year of the contract, with the biggest move in 2015 to 2016, when it went up by just under $12 million.This is the third year out of four in which clubs must reach 89 percent in cash spending, and the NFL Players Association said Friday that four teams are under that threshold: Dallas, Buffalo, Indianapolis and Houston.League expenditures for benefits are $40.5 million per team. Add that to the salary cap number and each club’s player costs are above $228 million.Benefits includes pension payments to former players; the Bell/Rozelle retirement and disability plan for active players; annuities and 401 (k) plans; health care; injury protection and severance; veteran performance-based pay; a separate pool of performance-based pay that’s essentially a cash bonus to players who outperform their contracts.With the NFL’s revenues at more than $14 billion and every team worth at least $1.6 billion (Buffalo), with a high of about $5 billion (Dallas), it’s hardly a surprise how high the cap has gone. In the first year of the current CBA, reached after a lockout of the players from March-July 2011 Kyler Murray Jersey , the cap was $120 million. It has increased by at least $10 million every year since 2014, when it went up to $133 million from $123 million.There should be plenty of money available to free agents when the league’s business year begins March 13. On average, teams have about $35 million in space after making offseason moves, with more certain to come. Also, only placekicker Robbie Gould of San Francisco has been given a franchise tag; the deadline is Tuesday.Two clubs, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, still must make moves to get under the cap.Agents for players can begin negotiating free-agent deals with teams on March 11, but can’t officially close them before 4 p.m. EDT on March 13. CHICAGO (AP) — Cody Parkey sat by his locker with a glazed look, struggling to explain how he did it again.The Chicago Bears‘ embattled kicker somehow managed to nail yet another upright and hit the crossbar while missing a 43-yard field goal in the closing seconds of a 16-15 wild-card loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.“You can’t make this up http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/byron-murphy-jersey ,” Parkey said.It was a cruel and appropriate end to a season in which he managed to hit uprights while missing field goals and extra points six times. This one came at the worst possible moment.Nick Foles gave Philadelphia a 16-15 lead on a 2-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate. Wendell Smallwood got stopped on a 2-point conversion run, Tarik Cohen returned the kickoff 35 yards to the 42, and the Bears (12-5) appeared to be in business.They had third-and-2 at the 25 when Mitchell Trubisky missed Anthony Miller on a deep pass down the middle. With 10 seconds remaining, the Bears turned to Parkey, hoping their kicker could extend their breakthrough season.After making three field goals earlier in the game, he sent one right between the uprights with a few feet to spare. But the Eagles called time to ice him so it didn’t count.Parkey then thought he booted a “great ball” on the next attempt. Several Eagles, however, said defensive tackle Treyvon Hester touched it.The kick hit halfway up the upright and ricocheted off the crossbar, bringing the Bears’ breakthrough season to an end.“There’s really no answer to it Andy Isabella Jersey ,” Parkey said. “I thought I hit a good ball. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it. I feel terrible, 100 percent take that loss on me. It is what it is. Sun is going to shine tomorrow. Life is going to go on. Unfortunately, it’s going to sting for a while.”At times this season, it seemed Parkey had as much success hitting uprights as he did converting kicks.He hit four while missing two field goals and two extra points in a win over Detroit at Soldier Field. He also hit one while missing an extra point in the regular-season finale at Minnesota.“I’m going to do everything I can to take the human side of it,” coach Matt Nagy said. “I think the easiest way you look at it is that you put yourself in his situation. You think he tried to miss it? No, I know that. But you’ve got to learn from it. You’ve got to figure out the why part, and he’ll do that, and we need to do that Clelin Ferrell Jersey , too.”Parkey’s penchant for hitting uprights was one of the biggest mysteries this season. And his status becomes one of their biggest offseason question marks. If the Bears don’t release him, they could bring in someone to compete with him.After signing a four-year contract, Parkey was 26 of 34 on field goals, counting the playoffs. On extra points, he was 42 for 45.“It was tough,” star linebacker Khalil Mack said. “But you’ve got to learn from this. I was praying, praying real hard, but things happen for a reason. I told him to keep his head up. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a guy in that position. But that’s still a teammate, that’s your brother.”Guard Kyle Long also rushed to his teammate’s defense.“I just told him Josh Oliver Jersey , ‘Dude, you had like half our points,” Long said. “I can’t even imagine what he’s going through. It’s a tough job. It’s a really tough job. I just wanted to make sure that he understood we all had his back. And I think every single guy in here did the same thing I did. … We lost as a team.”