It’s too early to know where the NFL salary cap will end up in the range of $180 million to $198 million coming off a pandemic-dominated season that was completed on time but still cost the league billions of dollars in revenue.

A glimmer of good news for teams came this week in the potential floor of the cap going up to $180 million after an initial agreement between the league and the players’ union that it wouldn’t be lower than $175 million.

The higher figure in the possible range is the 2020 number, and simple economics seem to make it all but certain that a seven-year run of the salary cap going up at least $10 million per season will end.

A flat-at-best cap could be an issue for the handful of teams currently over the $180 million figure, including the two-time AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s also a potential problem for the Dallas Cowboys if they can’t get a long-term deal with quarterback Dak Prescott, which would cause his cap charge to hit $37 million with another franchise tag after being around $31 million last year.