As the 2023 NFL offseason gets underway, how much salary cap space does every team currently have? The NFL set the salary cap at $224.8 million for the upcoming season, a $16.6 million and 7.9% increase over the 2022 cap number. Every team was required to become cap-compliant by the beginning of the new league year on March 15.
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. As teams sign free agents or cut current players on their roster, it will impact their cap space for the 2023 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: $25.1 million
Atlanta Falcons Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $21.8 million
Baltimore Ravens Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $6.8 million
Buffalo Bills Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $9.8 million
Carolina Panthers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $29.0 million
Chicago Bears Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $38.5 million
Cincinnati Bengals Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $17.0 million
Cleveland Browns Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $9.0 million
Dallas Cowboys Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $13.6 million
Denver Broncos Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $7.5 million
Detroit Lions Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $26.1 million
Green Bay Packers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $22.5 million
Houston Texans Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $22.1 million
Indianapolis Colts Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $20.1 million
Jacksonville Jaguars Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $10.3 million
Kansas City Chiefs Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $5.2 million
Las Vegas Raiders Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $8.3 million
Los Angeles Chargers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $16.1 million
Los Angeles Rams Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $11.6 million
Miami Dolphins Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $3.8 million
Minnesota Vikings Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: -$0.7 million
New England Patriots Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $12.3 million
New Orleans Saints Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $16.4 million
New York Giants Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $3.7 million
New York Jets Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $10.2 million
Philadelphia Eagles Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $13.9 million
Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $10.8 million
San Francisco 49ers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $5.0 million
Seattle Seahawks Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $12.1 million
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $4.7 million
Tennessee Titans Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $7.2 million
Washington Commanders Salary Cap Space
- Projected cap space: $3.0 million
Top 5 NFL Teams in Salary Cap Space
1) Chicago Bears | $38.5 million
The Bears entered the 2023 NFL offseason with the most cap space in the league, and they’re still on top despite making several additions leading up to the start of the new league year. Chicago has acquired wide receiver DJ Moore from the Panthers and signed linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, linebacker TJ Edwards, guard Nate Davis, and edge defender DeMarcus Walker.
2) Carolina Panthers | $29.0 million
Carolina has gone to work creating a suitable environment for their next quarterback, whom the club will draft with the No. 1 overall pick. New weapons like Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, and Hayden Hurst are in town, while the Panthers have also added a signal-caller mentor in Andy Dalton. Carolina added pieces on defense, too, including safety Vonn Bell and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle.
3) Detroit Lions | $26.1 million
The Lions have been relatively active, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where they’ve added free agents like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Cameron Sutton while re-signing Alex Anzalone and John Cominksy. On offense, Detroit lost running back Jamaal Williams but replaced him with David Montgomery.
Which NFL Teams Have the Least Salary Cap Space?
1) Minnesota Vikings | $0.7 million
Minnesota took on more than $20 million in dead money by parting ways with Adam Thielen, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Eric Kendricks, but they created space by adding void years to Kirk Cousins’ deal. The Vikings re-signed Garrett Bradbury while bringing in external free agents like Byron Murphy, Marcus Davenport, and Josh Oliver.
2) Washington Commanders | $3.0 million
Washington originally franchise-tagged Daron Payne before making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackles with a four-year, $90 million extension. The Commanders have also brought in quarterback Jacoby Brissett to compete with Sam Howell, while they’ve added offensive line reinforcements in the forms of Andrew Wylie and Nick Gates.
3) New York Giants | $3.7 million
The Giants brought back the core of their offense — Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley — while signing receiver Parris Campbell and acquiring tight end Darren Waller from the Raiders. On defense, New York has added linebacker Bobby Okereke on a four-year, $40 million pact and signed depth pieces like Amani Oruwariye and Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
How Does the NFL’s ‘Top 51 Rule’ Affect Salary Cap Space?
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.