During the Spring 2018 semester, I completed my senior Capstone at the National Football League with the Management Council in New York City. The Management Council directly deals with the Collective Bargaining Agreement on the league’s behalf. It handles everything from managing the league’s salary cap to regulating the amount of time players are allowed at the team facility in the offseason. I was lucky to complete my Capstone in the Spring, where I was able to see the department operate in different phases: the playoffs and Super Bowl, the start of free agency, and the draft.
My area of focus was in Labor Operations and Salary Cap Management, where I learned a tremendous amount about the salary cap and the CBA. My main responsibilities were to edit the daily waiver wire and create contract grids from the previous day and send it to the player’s union, approve contracts submitted by teams, assist with the daily reconciliation of the salary cap, and be available to complete tasks and projects as needed.
Working in the Management Council gave me an incredible opportunity to learn about the salary cap and Collective Bargaining Agreement from some of the most knowledgeable people on the subject and have access to information I could not have gotten anywhere else. I was lucky to see the department function and evolve from in-season to off-season.
Upon graduating from Syracuse University, I have been interviewing for positions with two teams with the potential to rejoin the NFL in a similar capacity. I look forward to pursuing a career in football on the team or league side.