FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2017, file photo, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) runs onto the field before an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Landover, Md. The NFL salary cap for the upcoming season will be $167 million per team, up more than $12 million over last year. This is the fourth consecutive year the cap has risen at least $10 million. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2017, file photo, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) runs onto the field before an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Landover, Md. The NFL salary cap for the upcoming season will be $167 million per team, up more than $12 million over last year. This is the fourth consecutive year the cap has risen at least $10 million. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File) Credit: Nick Wass

New York — The NFL salary cap for the upcoming season will be $167 million per team, up more than $12 million over last year.

The league and the NFL Players Association compile the cap from specific revenues, and it has risen annually. It was $143.28 million two years ago.

This is the fourth consecutive year the cap has risen at least $10 million.

Player benefits also are included under the 10-year labor agreement reached to end the 2011 lockout. That comes to $37 million per team, bringing the players’ total compensation package to over $200 million per club for the first time.

Since 2011, the cap has increased by $47 million.

Also, 2017 is the first year of a four-season minimum spending period of 89 percent per club and 95 percent leaguewide.

Steelers Keep Veteran LB

James Harrison is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker has signed a two-year contract with the team that will keep Harrison in black and gold past his 40th birthday.

Harrison led the Steelers with five sacks in 2016. He became the franchise’s all-time sack leader last season when he broke Jason Gildon’s club record. Harrison now has 79½ sacks in 13 years with the team.

Harrison, who retired briefly in 2014, said he felt energized by his performance during 2016 and indicated he wanted to come back after the Steelers fell to New England in the AFC championship game.

Suspended Gordon CouldApply for Reinstatement

Cleveland — Browns executive Sashi Brown has been in touch with suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon since he entered rehab, but does not know if the troubled former Pro Bowler will apply to the NFL for reinstatement.

Gordon’s business manager, Michael Johnson, told ESPN that the 25-year-old will appeal to Commissioner Roger Goodell to allow him back in the league.

Gordon hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2014. The 25-year-old was days away from returning to Cleveland’s roster last season but voluntarily entered a rehabilitation facility in September, saying he wanted to “gain full control of my life and continue on a path to reach my full potential as a person.

Ex-Patriots Cornerback Sentenced to Jail

Boston — Former New England Patriots cornerback Will Allen and his business partner have been sentenced to prison for running a Ponzi scheme that took in more than $35 million.

A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday sentenced Allen and Susan Daub each to six years in prison and three years of supervised release. They also were ordered to pay restitution totaling $17 million.

Allen and Daub collected millions from investors between 2012 and 2015, saying it would be used for high-interest loans to professional athletes. Their Massachusetts business made some loans but they also diverted money to themselves and other ventures.

Both pleaded guilty in November to charges including wire fraud and money laundering.

Allen most recently played for the Patriots before retiring in 2013.