The NFL has informed clubs of their projected working room when it comes to the 2023 season. Each year, the league projects where the salary cap ceiling will land. Based on a formula of shared revenue among the 32 teams, television deals and the like, the salary cap in the NFL is a hard cap that does not allow any team to use above the threshold.
During the offseason, the Rule of 51 is in place. Teams can have up to 90 players on their roster through the first part of training camp, so only the top 51 contracts count towards the cap. This is in addition to any “dead money” that remains from players no longer on the roster but who still had unallocated cap space remaining from their prior contracts. Teams are allowed to roll over unused cap space from one year to the next, adding to each team’s total. When all of that is configured, Dallas is one of 14 teams currently over the threshold, according to Over The Cap.
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Teams have until the start of the new league year (calendar here) to be in compliance. Right now the Cowboys are using 49 of those 51 slots. Here’s their current roster.
Once the regular season starts, all 53 players on the active roster and injured reserve, plus the dead money, all count towards the cap. For this reason, teams like to have at least $5 million in cap space to make midseason acquisitions. Here’s a look at the cap space for all 32 teams, in order, as of January 30.
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $91,833,199
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $56,414,855
[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $44,727,461
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $43,719,058
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $39,289,053
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $32,636,047
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $31,040,644
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $26,867,479
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $22,080,338
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $16,398,516
(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $14,467,205
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $13,997,884
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $13,825,618
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $13,071,832
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $9,206,724
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $6,649,246
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $4,235,666
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): $1,028,747
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$2,793,498
(AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$5,303,002
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$8,938,728
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$14,194,570
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$14,645,606
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$16,453,222
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$16,483,743
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$19,612,436
Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$20,381,524
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$22,217,686
(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$23,251,507
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$23,623,634
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$55,033,921
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Estimated Cap Space (as of 1/30/23): -$58,596,996