NFL Offseason 2022: Cap space situations across the league
![NFL 2022 - Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws in the second quarter during Super Bowl 56 against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Cincinnati Bengals lost, 23-30.Nfl Super Bowl 56 Los Angeles Rams Vs Cincinnati Bengals Feb 13 2022 1405 NFL 2022 - Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws in the second quarter during Super Bowl 56 against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Cincinnati Bengals lost, 23-30.Nfl Super Bowl 56 Los Angeles Rams Vs Cincinnati Bengals Feb 13 2022 1405](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/215bf80e8f43448c23bd52dc25fe18fb09655a2762d07591821bb333ec60fdf4.jpg)
How does your team sit with their cap space heading into the 2022 NFL offseason? We’ll take a look at each team’s financial situation here.
Now that the 2022 NFL season is over, content creators and fans alike can turn their attention to their team’s offseason plans. One of the biggest benefits to a team, or the biggest obstacle, is their cap space.
Some teams will overpay for players when the new league year begins, and some teams will use their cap space much more efficiently. Entire units can be rebuilt using free agency, and with the potential for a ton of quarterback movement, the offseason is going to be exciting.
Where does your favorite team sit with their projected cap space? As a side note, just because a team may only have, for example, $8 million in cap space, doesn’t mean they can’t go and sign players. Contracts are able to be moved around, money can be converted to signing bonuses, and teams’ respective cap experts can find creative ways to create enough cap space.
Some teams may try and follow the New Orleans Saints’ method, where they pushed contracts into further years to create cap space for the present.
Below is a summary of the cap space around the NFL going into the 2022 NFL offseason.
For the team’s projected cap space, I’ll be using Spotrac.com.
NFL Offseason 2022: The Upper Class
There are three teams that will have over $50 million in cap space heading into the offseason: the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Both the Dolphins and Chargers went 9-8 in 2021, and are on the cusp of playoff berths. Both teams have glaring holes they can fix during free agency. The Dolphins need an overhaul along their offensive line, and the Chargers need to fix their bad front seven. Both teams had one of the worst units in the NFL.
The Dolphins’ offensive line was among the league’s worst, and the Chargers had one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are heading into a big year two for the Trevor Lawrence era. They need an upgrade just about everywhere outside of running back and quarterback. They have the allure of playing in Florida, playing for a potential stud young quarterback, and playing for a Super Bowl-winning head coach.
If the Jaguars can make some smart free agency additions, they’ll be much better in 2022. They have strong draft capital, and cap space to go with it. They can’t possibly mess this up, right?