NFL sets 2023 salary cap: Here’s how it affects NY Jets

The NFL’s 2023 salary cap is set. Here is what New York Jets fans should know.

On the Monday following the AFC and NFC Championship Games, the NFL informed teams of its salary cap for the 2023 season.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, the 2023 salary cap has been set at a record-setting $224.8 million per club. That is up from $208.2 million in 2022, $182.5 million in 2021 (adjusted for COVID-19), $198.2 million in 2020, and $188.2 million in 2019.

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

So, how does this affect the New York Jets?

Well, in comparison to the cap space numbers you may have already been reading, the answer is not much.

Salary cap websites like Over The Cap and Spotrac were already basing their projections around an estimated 2023 salary cap of $225 million. This means their cap space projections prior to this announcement were close to spot-on.

Now that the $224.8 million salary cap is official, both Over The Cap and Spotrac have the Jets at $2.8 million over the cap (-$2.8 million in cap space).

While that sounds bad, it’s actually not unusual compared to the rest of the league. Over The Cap has the Jets at 18th in projected cap space out of 32 teams while Spotrac has them at 19th. Per Over The Cap, the current league average is only $5.8 million in projected cap space. Of the league’s 32 teams, 14 are currently projected to be over the cap.

Cap space numbers always look daunting around this time of year. Once teams execute cuts, trades, and restructures, the majority of teams will find themselves in a much better position to spend money by the time the legal tampering period opens on March 13.

Still, it seems extremely likely the Jets will have to be significantly more frugal in this year’s free agency period than they were in the past few years. On this date one year ago, the Jets were ranked fifth with $44.7 million in projected cap space. On this date two years ago, the Jets were third with $65.1 million in projected cap space.

General manager Joe Douglas has an interesting salary-cap challenge ahead of him this offseason. He no longer has the luxury of working with a boatload of cash.

FOR MORE AT JETS X-FACTOR, VISIT/SUBSCRIBE AT: NFL sets 2023 salary cap: Here’s how it affects NY Jets | Jets X-Factor