Who Has the Most NFL Salary Cap Work Ahead, Part 2
Here are six more NFL teams who have some decisions to make to become cap compliant for 2023.
Last week, I examined six teams who have some difficult decisions ahead to become cap compliant for 2023.
This week, I look at six more teams that have decisions ahead as well. Again, these decisions could come down to restructures (money converted into signing bonus), renegotiations (base salary reduction) and even extensions to lower cap numbers.
With some of these teams, they have less work ahead of them than the ones I covered last week. However, it's not likely that these teams will be in a position to do a lot in free agency.
Again, the numbers are based on Over the Cap's projection of a base salary cap of $225M. Let's look at the remaining six teams with work ahead of them.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars went on a spending spree in 2022 and, after a slow start, played better in the second half of the season. It led to an AFC South title and a first-round playoff win.
Now the Jaguars have some decisions to make, given that they are projected to be $22M over the cap for 2023. Their biggest contract decision will be regarding pass rusher Josh Allen, who enters the fifth-year option of his first-round rookie deal.
An extension for Allen will give the Jags some cap relief, but they will have to consider cutting or renegotiating the deals of a couple of other players. While the Jags are a team known for spending money, they likely won't be as active in free agency as they were in 2022.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills made headlines in free agency when they signed Von Miller to a six-year, $120M contract. Miller played well before an ACL injury ended his season. The Bills lost other players to injury, too, then struggled in a divisional playoff loss to the Bengals.
Now the Bills are faced with a tough cap situation. They are projected to be $19.4M over the cap for 2023 and have several players who are set to become free agents.
The Bills are a team that needs to step back and reassess. After making several moves with the intent of getting the team to the Super Bowl, they now need to think carefully about what deals they restructure and who they retain. They don't want to dig themselves into a deeper hole all while chasing a Super Bowl.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were aggressive throughout 2022 in acquiring players. This includes the offseason trade for Tyreek Hill and the midseason trade for Bradley Chubb. Miami made the playoffs but lost in the first round.
Now the Dolphins find themselves projected to be $22M over the cap once they get 51 players under contract. They also don't have much in the way of draft capital, plus they have to ask about Tua Tagovailoa's future, particularly about his health.
It will be tempting for the Dolphins to restructure a lot of deals -- and it's likely they'll have to restructure a couple of them. But they need to be careful, because they aren't necessarily just a few players away from a Super Bowl.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns made headlines with their trade for DeShaun Watson, which came with a five-year, fully guaranteed contract. Watson, though, served an 11-game suspension and the Browns finished 7-10 overall.
They are projected to be $14.4M over the cap for 2023. They did a lot of restructures in 2022 so they could have room to fit Watson's contract under the cap that year.
The Browns certainly have expectations to make the playoffs next year. They can extend or restructure a couple of players but they don't want to go too far with them. And though they have no first-round pick in 2023, they do have eight total, so it's best if they sit out free agency.
Los Angeles Rams
It's hard to blame the Rams for doing as much as they could to keep the team together in 2022. After all, they won the Super Bowl, so it's no surprise a team like that would want to do what it could to keep everyone in the fold.
Unfortunately, the Rams lost a lot of players to injury and things fell apart. Now the Rams will have some work to do, given that they are projected to be about $14M above the cap.
I've given the Rams their due for stepping back to reassess when things don't go as planned. It won't surprise me if they do that again in 2023, even if some pundits believe the Rams will take a big swing that involves trading future draft capital.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys went 12-5 in 2022 but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs. We often hear about how the Cowboys will be quick to make changes if they don't get to the Super Bowl but no such changes have happened.
But the Cowboys will have a little work ahead to become cap compliant, because they are projected to be $9M over the cap once they get to 51 players under contract (as of this writing, they have 49).
There are a couple of free agents who the Cowboys may want to retain. They might also make a surprise cut, given that some who stepped into the lineup played well. I will note that the Cowboys have become more selective about free agency in recent years, so it won't surprise me if they sit out in 2023, other than trying to keep their own players.