Rebuilding team projected to lead NFL in 2024 salary-cap space

With most of the NFL’s cap space having dried up and most of the league’s top free agents having inked new contracts, many front offices will begin focusing on extensions for impending free-agent veterans and players who are about to conclude their rookie contracts.

Naturally, part of these extension efforts will be focused on simply retaining players. However, front offices will also use these extension opportunities to help clean their books for future offseasons. With that said, we’ve compiled the current 2024 cap space outlooks for all 32 NFL teams (h/t Spotrac):

1. Houston Texans: $87.77M
2. New England Patriots: $85.43M
3. Chicago Bears: $78.01M
4. Washington Commanders: $67.65M
5. Tennessee Titans: $64.85M
6. Indianapolis Colts: $62.93M
7. Detroit Lions: $49.21M
8. Arizona Cardinals: $45.80M
9. Cincinnati Bengals: $44.43M
10. New York Giants: $44.36M
11. Carolina Panthers: $35.95M
12. Kansas City Chiefs: $35.66M
13. Minnesota Vikings: $32.45M
14. Las Vegas Raiders: $28.64M
15. Atlanta Falcons: $23.04M
16. Los Angeles Rams: $21.85M
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $5.14M
18. Philadelphia Eagles: $5.10M
19. Seattle Seahawks: $5.01M
20. New York Jets: $346K
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $216K
22. Green Bay Packers: $-2.25M
23. Baltimore Ravens: $-5.56M
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: $-6.66M
25. Dallas Cowboys: $-6.67M
26. San Francisco 49ers: $-31.20M
27. Denver Broncos: $-37.89M
28. Buffalo Bills: $-46.20M
29. Miami Dolphins: $-51.46M
30. New Orleans Saints: $-80.98M
31. Los Angeles Chargers: $-83.60M
32. Cleveland Browns: $-85.08M

The Texans are in the midst of a rebuild, so it’s not a huge surprise that they sit atop the list of projected 2024 cap space. The organization has only three players projected to have cap hits north of $10M in 2024 (Laremy Tunsil, Shaq Mason and Maliek Collins). The Texans could use the 2024 offseason as an opportunity to make the team more competitive, but their hopes of eventually becoming a contender will depend on their draft picks, including a pair of 2024 first-rounders.

After the Patriots went on an uncharacteristic spending spree during the 2021 offseason, things have mostly been quiet over the past two years. Many of those big-money deals from 2021 are set to come off the books in 2024, providing the Patriots with an opportunity to load up during the fourth year of Mac Jones‘ rookie contract. Some of that cap space will surely go to extensions, including safety Kyle Dugger (as we explored the other day).

There are 11 teams that, as currently slated, wouldn’t be cap-compliant heading into the 2024 regular season. Those teams will eventually clear up the necessary amount of breathing room, but that will be easier said than done for some organizations. The Browns have six players who are projected to have cap hits north of $18M in 2024 (Deshaun Watson, Myles Garrett, Amari Cooper, Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio and David Njoku). While reworking some of those pacts will clear up some space, it won’t completely solve Cleveland’s cap predicament.

The Chargers are another interesting team to watch, especially with Justin Herbert likely commanding a lucrative new contract. Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are projected to count for 59 percent of the team’s 2024 cap, meaning the front office will surely have to make some tough decisions as they look to navigate the 2024 offseason.