NEW YORK (AP) - The $46 million in total salary cap reductions for the Redskins and Cowboys over the next two seasons will go to other teams.
A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday that 28 other clubs will get a boost to their 2012 and 2013 salary caps. The Redskins will lose $36 million in cap space over the next two years, while the Cowboys will lose $10 million. They were cited by the NFL for paying exorbitant amounts in the uncapped 2010 season to get more spending room for the upcoming season.
Washington and Dallas must reduce their spending by at least half of those amounts in 2012, then lose the remainder in 2013.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the forfeitures were not made public.
Oakland and New Orleans will not share in the redistributed salary cap space because they engaged in similar practices, but not to the degree of Washington and Dallas.
The NFL feared that the spending by the Redskins and Cowboys threatened competitive balance.
The forfeited space will cause an increase above the $120.6 million salary cap for the 28 teams this year. The amount will be determined by how much the Redskins and Cowboys choose to forfeit immediately.
The $120.6 million figure is about $5 million higher than it would have been had the Redskins and Cowboys not taken the cap hits, the person said.
Both the Redskins and Cowboys denied any wrongdoing in statements released Monday.
“The Dallas Cowboys were in compliance with all league salary cap rules during the uncapped year,” the team said through spokesman Rich Dalrymple. “We look forward to the start of the free agency period where our commitment to improving our team remains unchanged.”
The Redskins’ statement from general manager Bruce Allen said the team had not received written notification from the NFL of a salary cap adjustment for 2012.
“Every contract entered into by the club during the applicable periods complied with the 2010 and 2011 collective bargaining agreements and, in fact, were approved by the NFL commissioner’s office,” he said. “We look forward to free agency, the draft and the coming football season.”
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AP Sports Writer Joseph White in Washington contributed to this story.
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