NFL sets its salary cap — and Bears have the most space

The Bears have been set to have the most salary cap space in the NFL. Now we know exactly how much.

The NFL told teams Monday that the 2023 salary cap is expected to be $224.8 million, a source confirmed. That represents about an 8% bump from the $208.2 million cap in 2022 and makes official what the Bears have been anticipating for almost a year — that they’ll have a lot of room to make signings this offseason.

Per OvertheCap.com, the Bears will have $91.8 million in 2023 cap space. That figure laps the field. The Falcons rank second with $56.4 million, while the Giants are third with $44.7 million.

The Bears’ shopping list is longer than either of those two teams, though. They have only 49 players counting against their salary cap, the eighth-fewest in the league.

The Bears are expected to be a major factor this offseason. They figure to spend their salary cap on free agent additions — their major needs are on both lines, linebacker and receiver — starting March 15.

They’ll likely sign some of their best players to extensions. Tight end Cole Kmet figures to get a new deal, as does cornerback Jaylon Johnson. The Bears could also consider extensions for receivers Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, though Mooney seems far more likely. All four are entering the final season of their four-year rookie contracts and just became eligible for extensions.

The Bears have the first overall pick in this year’s draft. Earlier this month, general manager Ryan Poles said he would have to be “absolutely blown away” to move on from quarterback Justin Fields. Teams that do need a quarterback, however, are expected to contact the Bears about trading up to the No. 1 spot in the April draft.

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