The Canadian Football League has heard the complaints from coaches and personnel staff about the football operations cap, but it doesn’t appear they’ll be doing away with it anytime soon.
Commissioner Stewart Johnston reasserted the league’s position on the cap during CFL offseason winter meetings in Calgary earlier this month, though he expressed an openness to future conversations.
“The topic was definitely raised during the meetings. We had a discussion on that,” Johnston said. “We kind of went back to the genesis of when it was implemented, and certainly, managing costs, so teams understand cost certainty as we operate in a world where a number of our teams remain unprofitable, was a key part of that.”
The league implemented the football operations cap following the 2018 season, designed to limit and equalize spending across all nine teams. Johnston has regularly asserted during his short tenure that seven of the league’s nine franchises lose money annually. That claim dates back to Randy Ambrosie’s time as commissioner, when he told Parliament that teams collectively lose between $10 and $20 million per year.
While the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers are community-owned and have publicly posted profits the past few seasons, privately-owned teams are not obligated to disclose their financials. However, the CFL recently announced $10 million in revenue growth for the 2025 season, part of $31 million in financial gains since 2022.
That resulted in a substantial increase to the 2026 salary expenditure cap for players, thanks to the revenue-sharing model that the CFLPA negotiated as part of the current collective bargaining agreement. Coaches and staff are not unionized, and have no guarantee that they’ll receive an appropriate slice of the pie.
The operations cap was originally set just below $2.6 million, though it was reduced amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It has since risen above pre-pandemic levels, and Johnston has indicated it will go up again this season, though it’s unclear by how much.
“Our coaches are so incredibly important to the development of our players and the entertainment value of the game that’s being put on the field,” Johnston said. “This topic is present as we have our conversations with all the presidents of each club, and will remain so going forward.”
The cap not only limits how much teams can spend but also how many people they can employ, capping clubs at 11 coaches and 14 other football operations staff. Those subject to the cap are coaches, general managers, scouts, equipment staff, and video personnel. Team doctors and athletic therapists are not included.
The operations cap has been the subject of criticism since its inception, as some have argued it inhibits teams from hiring and developing coaches and personnel people, leading to a more stagnant on-field product. Teams are also subject to financial penalties in future years when firing coaches before the end of their contract, lowering their spending capacity and disincentivizing long-term deals, though there are some limited exemptions available.
Johnston appeared to acknowledge that the cap has been a deterrent for coaches in the league, scaring some away while driving others out.
“I think we have to look at our business from every aspect, whether it’s specific to coaches or other operations people or players,” he said. “If you are finding yourself in a place of attrition, you’ve got to find the root cause of that and understand if there are business mechanics to address that. And then, of course, you weigh your costs and your benefits against that. Certainly, we’re very focused on all of that.”
Currently, it appears that the benefits of cost certainty outweigh any concerns over coaching degradation in the league’s eyes, cementing the ops cap in place. However, it is those on the sidelines and in front offices, not those in the board of governors seats, who will continue to bear the brunt of the impact.
