The Cap Is Up. So Is the Gap

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The Cap Is Up. So Is the Gap

What's going on: The NFL is having a full-on Jerry Maguire moment. Just last week, the league announced it had raised the salary cap to a record $301.2 million per team, according to The Athletic. That’s a $22 million jump from last year, more than 40% in four years, and nearly double what it was a decade ago. Clearly, business is booming. The cap rises with league revenue, so the more the NFL makes, the more teams have to spend. Though it’s designed to make the game more competitive, the cap puts a ceiling on what its biggest stars take home. For context, the quarterback’s salary tag sits at $43.9 million, per ESPN. And if you’re wondering how that compares to women’s sports leagues, well, prepare to throw a flag — or anything within reach.

Tell me more: Warning, the following might make your blood boil. For the 2025 season, the National Women’s Soccer League had a team salary cap of $3.5 million. The Professional Women’s Hockey League has a $1.34 million per team cap, with player minimum salaries just above $37,000 a year, per The Athletic. So, we did the math — the NFL’s cap increase is more than 16 times that. (Now ice is running through our veins.) Meanwhile, the Women’s National Basketball Association players are in a full-on fight for their share. The league’s latest proposal could push team caps from $1.5 million to around $5.75 million and projected player minimums past $230,000. But the deal still isn’t done — and the 2026 season hangs in the balance.

Related: A Sold-Out Unrivaled Crowd Had a Very Loud Message for the WNBA (X)

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Timeout...

Caroline Hendershot, reporter for the New York Jets and Well Played co-host, tackles listener Qs.

It's time for a round of applause …

Your favorite program did it again. That’s right, the UConn women’s basketball team went undefeated in the regular season despite having the 13th-toughest schedule out of 363 teams, per Fox Sports. After beating St. John’s 85-49, UConn completed its 11th regular season without a single loss. For context, the 2021 Gonzaga team was the last men’s team to reach a similar milestone. (But Miami’s men’s basketball could end that drought.) UConn — the reigning national champs and No. 1 ranked program — now advances to the conference championship quarterfinals on Saturday, where they’ll face Georgetown or Butler before March Madness begins. 

Related: The Women’s College Teams Coming To Crash Your Bracket (USA Today)

The Press Box

“In my household, my mother would not allow me to be anybody but who I was. Always head up, no matter what was happening” — Dawn Staley, head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

There’s more wisdom where that came from. Coach Dawn talks body confidence, her dream athlete to coach, and her advice for Bam Adebayo when it comes to dating A’ja Wilson. Watch the full conversation on this week’s episode of Well Played.

In Our Rotation

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Sore muscles? Couldn’t be us. Especially when this under-$40 joint cream exists. 

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One of our editors tried this all-inclusive roller set for postworkout recovery and swears by it. It’s basically as close as you can get to a sports massage at home.

No Notes

Skimm'd by Mallory Simon, Kylie McConville, and Maria del Carmen Corpus. Fact-checked by Jordan Mamone.