Per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, all vested veteran players who make teams in Week 1 will have their non-guaranteed salary for the upcoming season converted into guaranteed salary. Vested veterans are defined as players with more than four years of experience in the league.

This puts forces teams into interesting decisions, essentially having to make all-or-nothing bets on these veteran players from a cash and cap standpoint to start the regular season. Starting next Tuesday, NFL teams will not only have their top 51 players’ cap hits count against their cap, but their entire 53-man roster, the practice squad and all of the players who they hold on their injury lists (injured reserve, physically unable to perform and non-football injury).

In short, teams’ cap counting is ab

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