Angelo just found another $4 million to spend, if he wants

Jerry Angelo just got an extra $4 million to spend.

That doesn’t mean he’s going to rush into free agency when it begins in a little more than 27 hours.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reported that the salary cap, which was expected to be at $123 million for 2009, has been bumped up to $127 million.

Because teams didn’t spend as much as they were supposed to under the collective bargaining agreement the past three years, teams were notified Wednesday that the salary cap will increase over $4 million to $127 million for this coming year, according to sources with two NFL teams. The collective bargaining agreement calls for cap adjustment down if teams spend over the cap in cash and adjustment up if they don’t spend up to the cap.

That’s big news in Carolina and Washington, where they were pressed for room. It will also help out a team like the New York Jets, which may be looking to raid Baltimore for some players.

There is a cap-adjustment mechanism and as one source said the number gets moved every year. Last year, it moved by about $700,000. This year, it just happened to be a bigger jump. Now, the Bears are projected to have about $31 million in available room, a figure that would climb if/when John Tait’s retirement becomes official. Angelo said at the combine that coach Lovie Smith and line coach Harry Hiestand had tried to talk Tait out of walking away with one year remaining on his contract.

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