The NFL salary cap in 2023 has been confirmed at $224.8 million. We found out a few weeks ago that it was expected to come in at over $220 million this offseason, but the exact amount had not been confirmed at the time. We now know that the cap will rise by $16.6 million, which is a 7.9% increase on the previous cap number.
2023 NFL Salary Cap Space by Team
Each team must be under the cap at the start of the new league season. During the early parts of the offseason, and especially in free agency, the salary cap situation for each NFL team changes almost daily. As teams sign free agents or cut current players on their roster, it will impact their cap space for the upcoming league year.
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
- Projected cap space: $14.5 million
Atlanta Falcons Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $56.4 million
Baltimore Ravens Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $26.9 million
Buffalo Bills Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-19.6 million
Carolina Panthers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-8.9 million
Chicago Bears Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $91.8 million
Cincinnati Bengals Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $43.7 million
Cleveland Browns Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-14.6 million
Dallas Cowboys Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-5.3 million
Denver Broncos Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $9.2 million
Detroit Lions Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $13.8 million
Green Bay Packers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-16.5 million
Houston Texans Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $39.3 million
Indianapolis Colts Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $13.1 million
Jacksonville Jaguars Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-22.2 million
Kansas City Chiefs Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $14.0 million
Las Vegas Raiders Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $22.1 million
Los Angeles Chargers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-20.4 million
Los Angeles Rams Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-14.2 million
Miami Dolphins Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-16.5 million
Minnesota Vikings Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-23.3 million
New England Patriots Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $32.6 million
New Orleans Saints Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-58.6 million
New York Giants Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $44.7 million
New York Jets Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-2.8 million
Philadelphia Eagles Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $4.2 million
Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $1.0 million
San Francisco 49ers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $16.4 million
Seattle Seahawks Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $31.0 million
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-55.0 million
Tennessee Titans Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $-23.6 million
Washington Commanders Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $6.6 million
Top Five Teams in Terms of Salary Cap Space
As of Jan. 30, there are seven teams with more than $30 million in projected cap space and two teams with more than $50 million. Here are the current top five teams in terms of projected salary cap space.
1) Chicago Bears | $91.8 million
The Bears have an incredible amount of cap space potentially available next year. Depending on what moves they make toward the back end of the current season, they could have around 50% of the base cap available to them this offseason. That would give them a lot of options to build a team around Justin Fields next season.
2) Atlanta Falcons | $56.4 million
The Falcons look like they will be in a rebuild, potentially with Desmond Ridder under center. They will have a lot of cap space to start doing that, with a projected $70 million in space with 37 players signed. Atlanta could be an intriguing team to watch in free agency when March rolls around.
3) New York Giants | $44.7 million
The Giants may have a lot of cap space, but they have a huge question to answer at QB. Do they give Daniel Jones another contract, do they try to trade for a veteran, or do they start again in the draft? For a team that has been competitive this year, finding a solution for such an important position will be a priority in the upcoming offseason.
4) Cincinnati Bengals | $43.7 million
The Bengals’ 2022 season may have ended in the AFC Conference Championship, but they will have plenty of money to spend this offseason. However, they have a handful of pending free agents in 2023, so it will be intriguing to see how they prioritize that cap space.
5) Houston Texans | $39.3 million
We now know that DeMeco Ryans is expected to take over as the head coach of the Texans. The new head coach will have a chance to work with the GM to build a roster that might be able to be more competitive in 2023. They should be able to make some intriguing additions with the fifth-most cap space.
Which Teams Have the Least Salary Cap Space in the NFL?
On Jan. 30, 14 teams are projected to be over the cap, and two teams are set to be more than $50 million over the cap. Here are the current bottom five teams in terms of salary cap space.
1) New Orleans Saints | $-55.6 million
Welcome back to this list New Orleans. The Saints’ cap is a complete mess right now, and getting out of it is going to create further future headaches. This team mortgaged their future to try and press for a Super Bowl with Drew Brees.
MORE: 2023 NFL Free Agents by Position
The credit card bill is now due, and New Orleans will have a hard time significantly improving its team this offseason.
2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $-55.0 million
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also pushed money into 2023 as they looked for a second Super Bowl with Tom Brady. Now with Brady’s contract set to dump a lot of dead money on their cap, the Buccaneers will have some tough decisions to make this offseason.
3) Tennessee Titans | $-23.6 million
The Tennessee Titans went separate ways from GM Jon Robinson during the 2022 season. The fact that they are projected to be $15 million over the cap in 2023 and have not had the success they would have hoped by pushing this money into the future may very well have been part of that decision.
With questions at QB and the need to improve their offense, the Titans have some tough decisions this offseason.
4) Minnesota Vikings | $-23.3 million
The Vikings have a ton of questions to answer this offseason. With a couple of top defensive players set to be free agents this offseason, they will have some tough decisions to make. While they will likely be able to open some cap space up with restructures and release, they may not be able to overhaul the roster the way they may need to if they are to challenge for the NFC next season.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars | $-23.2 million
It seems unlikely that we will see the Jaguars make another big splash in free agency this offseason. They do not have a huge number of big-name free agents to try and retain, but they may be limited in how much they can do this offseason without some work from their front office.
What Is the ‘Top 51 Rule’ When It Comes to Offseason Salary Cap Space for NFL Teams?
During the offseason, the NFL does not count the salary of every player on the team towards 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.
