Free agency is just around the corner, and the NFL has officially set the 2022 salary cap at $208.2 million, according to numerous insiders around the league.
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Last May, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to a $208.2 million salary cap ceiling for the 2022 season. The new salary cap is a $25.7 million increase from last season’s cap of $182.5 million.
With the cap set at $208.2 million, that would give the Bears $26.3 million in salary cap space ahead of the start of the new league year, according to Over The Cap. That’s the 12th most cap space in the NFL.
NFL’s 2022 salary cap will be $208.2 million.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2022
New general manager Ryan Poles could make some other moves to free up salary cap space, including some veteran cuts like Danny Trevathan, Eddie Goldman and Tarik Cohen. But Chicago is sitting comfortably with around $26 million to work with.
Still, Poles has a lot of work to do in free agency to fill roster holes at both starting and depth positions. With just five NFL draft selections this year, a bulk of the roster build will happen in free agency.
Last week at the NFL Combine, Poles preached the importance of the second and third wave of free agency. With plenty of holes to fill, there’s an emphasis on building depth, which will come with those more affordable signings.
“That volume piece is important,” Poles said.
But that’s not to say the Bears won’t make a splash in free agency, especially given the importance of building around quarterback Justin Fields. Wide receiver, offensive line, linebacker and defensive back are all major needs for Chicago. And we’re close to seeing how Poles starts building his roster when free agency kicks off March 16.
