The NFL notified all 32 teams Monday that the salary cap will be set at $224.8 million in 2023, according to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
That’s an increase of $16.6 million from 2022. It’s a massive $42.3 million jump from 2021, which was COVID-adjusted. NFL teams have been working from the assumption that the salary cap would come in at around $225 million, so this reaffirms what teams were working off of ahead of the new league year, which begins March 15.
The 2023 cap numbers are a part of the NFL’s increased revenue from television deals, streaming deals and adding a 17th game. The cap is expected to continue to grow in the future years.
The NFL informed teams today that the 2023 salary cap will be a record $224.8 million per club, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
That’s up from $208.2 million in 2022, $182.5M in 2021 (COVID adjustment), 198.2M in 2020 and $188.2M in 2019.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2023
How does this impact the Washington Commanders?
Per Over the Cap, the Commanders have around $6.6 million in salary-cap space in 2023. That number includes quarterback Carson Wentz’s $26.1 million, which will disappear once Washington moves on from him. The Commanders also have $14.2 million in dead money against the cap in 2023 due to the bad contracts of Landon Collins and William Jackson III.
Fortunately for Washington, those contracts come off the books in 2024.
The Commanders have plenty of needs to address this offseason, but it’s unclear how active they will be in free agency due to potential ownership change.
