I don’t know how the expenses work, but I’m sure some teams treat their guys better than others, while staying within the parameters of the cap rules. I’d imagine this is monitored by the league.

Unless things have changed, I think all the tryout/camp players have to find their own accommodation in the area and will usually only get something permanent once they are sure of a place on the team. Some teams may assist their players in this way, perhaps finding them reasonably-price and conveniently-located shared accommodation, but I would imagine that living accommodation expenses also come under scrutiny by the league, as it’s another potential area where the cap could be side-stepped (by giving someone a low salary but premium expenses that don’t count against the cap).

I was once asked to work on a project for a top-level rugby team in England that was hoping to find a similar way around the salary cap and the answer was that there was no way around it unless you were willing to risk serious sanctions for breaking the rules. I’m sure it was markedly different to the NFL’s rules, but the same principle probably applies.

I know for a fact that a guy went to Pats camp several years ago and ended up staying in my friend’s mother’s spare room, although he only lasted a week before being cut, but that’s the closest I can give you to any inside information. It’s an interesting question though, so if anyone has any deeper insight, please chime in.