The NFL announced on Friday that the league-wide salary cap would increase by more than $30 million for the 2024 regular season.
As a way to keep things on a level playing field, the NFL implemented salary cap restrictions in 1994, becoming the first professional league to do so.
The salary cap exists to prevent teams with bigger markets from stockpiling the best free agents each off-season. However, the threshold has steadily increased over the years.
In 1994, the NFL set the limit at a paltry $32 million. Nearly twenty years later, that number skyrocketed to $120 million thanks to lucrative TV deals that funnel back to teams.
On Friday, the NFL announced its most significant single-season jump of the decade. Last season, teams were allowed a $224.8 million limit. In 2024, it will grow substantially to $255.4 million.
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Ranking salary cap space for each NFL team
According to Spotrac, the Washington Commanders hold the most available salary cap space in entering the off-season.
Alternatively, the Buffalo Bills have the least amount of space, currently sitting at -$41 million. The front office must restructure deals and potentially trade away or release players to get below the limit.
BREAKING: The NFL informed teams today that the 2024 salary cap will be $255.4M, per @jjones9.That's a huge $30.6M increase from last year. 📈📈 pic.twitter.com/xBGzAFLiWF
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 23, 2024
Below is a comprehensive list of each team’s salary cap space after the recent confirmation of a $30.6 million increase this off-season.
| NFL Salary Cap Space (2024) | Amount Available |
| 1. Washington Commanders | $96.4 million |
| 2. New England Patriots | $86.8 million |
| 3. Tennessee Titans | $85.2 million |
| 4. Chicago Bears | $82.9 million |
| 5. Indianapolis Colts | $79.2 million |
| 6. Cincinnati Bengals | $74.2 million |
| 7. Houston Texans | $73.9 million |
| 8. Detroit Lions | $65.7 million |
| 9. Arizona Cardinals | $57.5 million |
| 10. Las Vegas Raiders | $55.4 million |
| 11. Los Angeles Rams | $52.3 million |
| 12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $48.1 million |
| 13. Carolina Panthers | $42.8 million |
| 14. Atlanta Falcons | $41.9 million |
| 15. Minnesota Vikings | $40.9 million |
| 16. New York Giants | $38.9 million |
| 17. Philadelphia Eagles | $32.4 million |
| 18. Jacksonville Jaguars | $30.1 million |
| 19. Kansas City Chiefs | $28.2 million |
| 20. New York Jets | $20.4 million |
| 21. Seattle Seahawks | $16.1 million |
| 22. Green Bay Packers | $12.4 million |
| 23. Baltimore Ravens | $12 million |
| 24. Pittsburgh Steelers | $8.4 million |
| 25. San Francisco 49ers | $4.6 million |
| 26. Dallas Cowboys | $-3.2 million |
| 27. Cleveland Browns | $-7.7 million |
| 28. Denver Broncos | $-13 million |
| 29. Los Angeles Chargers | $-20.8 million |
| 30. Miami Dolphins | $-24.6 million |
| 31. New Orleans Saints | $-38.8 million |
| 32. Buffalo Bills | $-41.3 million |
The available salary cap space will change for each team as players get cut, traded, and signed when NFL free agency opens on March 13.