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The NFL has recently announced that the salary cap for the 2023 season has been set at $224.8 million.
This is nearly a $20 million increase from the 2022 season, leaving teams with more wiggle room.
While this is a significant increase, three teams are in a worse position than their league counterparts.
Teams with the least projected cap space for the 2023 season (via ESPN)
1) #Buccaneers -$58.1 million
2) #Saints – -$47.4 million
3) #Browns -$20.8 million pic.twitter.com/PpugpaPwCJ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 23, 2023
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns are all significantly over the projected salary cap.
Each team will need to restructure current contracts and potentially trade away a few of their key contributors to fall in line with the league’s new guidelines.
The Buccaneers are in this position largely due to Tom Brady’s contract.
Even though Brady is retired, his contract with the Buccaneers is accompanied by a $35 million dollar cap hit.
This makes it difficult for the Buccaneers to attract any marquee free agents, given their lack of available capital.
As a result, the Buccaneers might have to rebuild for a few years, as their starting quarterback in 2023 will likely be Kyle Trask.
The Saints tend to be over the cap as well, but, due to their front office, they are typically able to work something out.
While the Browns have significantly less to maneuver, they are still over the cap as well by $20 million.
The Browns signed Deshaun Watson to a massive contract ahead of the 2022 season, which is one of the main reasons that they are in their current cap situation.
How will each of these teams navigate the salary cap, falling within the league’s guidelines?
The post 3 NFL Teams Are Projected To Have The Least Amount Of Cap Space In 2023 appeared first on The Cold Wire.
