With the 2023 NFL offseason well underway and the teams starting to return to the field, how much salary cap space does every team currently have? The NFL set the salary cap at $224.8 million for the 2023 season, a $16.6 million and 7.9% increase over last year’s cap number. Every team was required to become cap-compliant by the beginning of the new league year on March 15. Through the offseason, teams must remain under the cap when accounting for the top 51 highest-cap numbers on their roster.
2023 NFL Salary Cap Space by Team
During the early parts of the offseason, and especially in free agency, the salary cap situation for each NFL team changes almost daily. Things have now calmed down somewhat, with fewer major moves being made.
Salary cap numbers are from Over the Cap, and all numbers are listed in millions and rounded to one decimal place.
Arizona Cardinals Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $26.7 million
Atlanta Falcons Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $10 million
Baltimore Ravens Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $9.9 million
Buffalo Bills Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $5.5 million
Carolina Panthers Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $26.6 million
Chicago Bears Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $32 million
Cincinnati Bengals Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $14.9 million
Cleveland Browns Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $16.9 million
Dallas Cowboys Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $20.5 million
Denver Broncos Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $8.8 million
Detroit Lions Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $22.9 million
Green Bay Packers Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $16.6 million
Houston Texans Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $13.8 million
Indianapolis Colts Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $23.4 million
Jacksonville Jaguars Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $12 million
Kansas City Chiefs Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $0.4 million
Las Vegas Raiders Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $2.7 million
Los Angeles Chargers Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $12.5 million
Los Angeles Rams Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $10.3 million
Miami Dolphins Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $13.9 million
Minnesota Vikings Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $17.8 million
New England Patriots Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $15 million
New Orleans Saints Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $14.2 million
New York Giants Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $3.8 million
New York Jets Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $23.2 million
Philadelphia Eagles Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $13.9 million
Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $13.2 million
San Francisco 49ers Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $10.6 million
Seattle Seahawks Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $7.2 million
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $1.4 million
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Tennessee Titans Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $8 million
Washington Commanders Salary Cap Space
- Cap Space: $11.6 million
Top 3 NFL Teams in Salary Cap Space
1) Chicago Bears | $32 million
The Bears were among the most active teams during the opening days of the new league year. Not only did they acquire DJ Moore and a host of other assets by trading the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers, but they used their ample cap space to sign free agents like Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards, and Nate Davis.
Chicago could roll most of its cap space over to the 2024 campaign (when they might be more competitive), but the Bears have also been open about their plans to add another free agent pass rusher.
2) Arizona Cardinals | $26.7 million
The Cardinals are building for the future. In general manager Monti Ossenfort’s first year in charge, he mastered trading down in the draft to acquire capital in future seasons. Arizona also released DeAndre Hopkins and will absorb more than $20 million in dead money this year as part of the remnants of the veteran wideout’s contract.
Ossenfort didn’t sit on his hands in free agency — the Cardinals signed 22 free agents, the third-most of any team. However, most of those additions were relatively minor. Linebacker Kyzir White was the only FA to receive at least $5 million per year.
3) Carolina Panthers | $26.6 million
The Panthers wanted to ensure that their rookie quarterback would enter a solid environment, so they used their cap space to add talent like Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, and Hayden Hurst over the offseason. Bryce Young won’t have the NFL’s best weaponry, but Carolina has built a solid foundation.
Which NFL Teams Have the Least Salary Cap Space?
1) Kansas City Chiefs | $0.4 million
It’s no surprise to see the defending Super Bowl champions near the top of the list when it comes to the least amount of salary cap space in 2023. The Chiefs could potentially clear more space by extending defensive Chris Jones, as handing him a significant signing bonus would likely reduce his cap charge for the upcoming season.
While rumors have emerged that Kansas City wants to make Patrick Mahomes the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, they haven’t yet tweaked his contract. However, they did convert a portion of his roster bonus into a signing bonus earlier this offseason to create nearly $10 million in cap room.
2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $0.4 million
The situation for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is not pretty right now. With Tom Brady still counting for a significant amount of cap space in 2023, the franchise is reasonably hamstrung in terms of what they can do financially.
These struggles may last a couple of years for the Buccaneers, who are paying the price for their Super Bowl win with Brady under center. No team is carrying more dead money than Tampa Bay ($75.3 million).
3) Las Vegas Raiders | $2.7 million
The Raiders signed more free agents (28) than any team this offseason and spent the sixth-most total cash ($176.4 million). Whether or not that spree will make Las Vegas competitive in 2023 is an open question, especially given that new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is still dealing with the foot injury that ended his 2022 campaign.
How Does the NFL’s ‘Top 51 Rule’ Affect Salary Cap Space?
During the offseason, the NFL doesn’t count the salary of every player on the team toward the salary cap. Instead, they use a process of only counting the 51 most expensive contracts in terms of the team’s salary cap hits. This rule stretches until the start of the season. At that point, all 53 players on the roster count toward the salary cap.
