NFL Offseason 2022: Cap space situations across the league

NFL Offseason 2022: Cap Hell

Welcome to cap hell, gang!  These teams are in the negative, and some are much worse than others.

The Saints are nearly $80 million over the cap.  Sean Payton resigned, Drew Brees retired last year, and the Saints have now found themselves in a massive rebuilding project.

They are surely going to have to trade some veterans to free up some money.  I don’t think they can keep playing games with their cap–they need to rebuild their team and reset at the quarterback position.  Other teams should be calling the Saints about their veteran players.

The Green Bay Packers are perhaps the most interesting team.  With nearly $50 million over the cap and uncertainty with Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay is in a tough spot.  Oh, did I mention that Davante Adams is a free agent?

If Rodgers wants to return to Green Bay, the Packers will find a way to keep Adams and get back under the cap, but if Aaron Rodgers wants out, the NFL will collectively lose their minds and Green Bay might then be motivated to rebuild a bit.

Others teams over the cap include the Cowboys, Vikings, Rams, Giants, Titans, Falcons, and Bills.

This group is diverse, filled with teams who made the playoffs, are in the middle of a rebuild, and won the Super Bowl.  The teams who made the 2021 playoffs will try and keep as much of their roster intact as possible, which makes sense, but the other teams, like the Vikings, Giants, and Falcons, do have some options with their team-building strategies.

Do the Vikings trade Kirk Cousins?  Do the Falcons draft Matt Ryan’s successor?  What do the Giants do with Daniel Jones?

With teams being over $50 million in cap, to teams being $50 million under the cap, the 2022 NFL offseason is poised to be a fun one.