Bears salary cap breakdown entering 2023 season
It’s been a busy offseason for Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who’s continued to retool the roster in his second year. That included added some big-name veterans like receiver DJ Moore and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and finding impact players in the NFL draft.
While Poles was in a rough situation when he took over the Bears last offseason, he cleared a lot of bad contracts last offseason and helped free up the salary cap in 2023, where they’ve had the most cap space since before the start of free agency.
Where do the Bears stand in terms of the salary cap entering the summer? Here’s a quick breakdown of Chicago’s cap situation.
Cap space
$32.57 million (Over The Cap)
The Bears are in a good position with the salary cap heading into the summer. They have the most available cap space at $32.57 million. Chicago has signed all 10 draft picks, including most recently second-rounders Gervon Dexter and Tyrique Stevenson. With a need at edge rusher, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them add a veteran before training camp, especially as Matt Eberflus indicated as much.
Biggest cap hits
WR DJ Moore – $20.16 million
S Eddie Jackson – $17.09 million
LB Tremaine Edmunds – $14.68 million
OL Cody Whitehair – $14.1 million
DT Justin Jones – $7.4 million
OL Nate Davis – $6.92 million
DL DeMarcus Walker – $6.41 million
OL Lucas Patrick – $5.38 million
QB Justin Fields – $5.14 million
LB T.J. Edwards – $5 million
The Bears have four players with a salary cap hit of more than $14 million, including new additions receiver DJ Moore and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Safety Eddie Jackson has the second-highest cap hit at $17.09 million with center Cody Whitehair coming in with the fourth-most at $14.1 million. Three other new additions also comprise the top 10, including guard Nate Davis ($6.92 million), defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker ($6.41 million) and linebacker T.J. Edwards ($5 million). Quarterback Justin Fields has the ninth-highest cap hit, who’s a steal at $5.14 million.
Dead money on the cap
TOTAL: $23.51 million
DE Robert Quinn – $13.23 million
LB Danny Trevathan – $3.77 million
DL Mario Edwards – $2.17 million
RB Tarik Cohen – $1.75 million
LB Jeremiah Attaochu – $800,000
DL Angelo Blackson – $500,000
DE Al-Quadin Muhammad – $500,000
QB Trevor Siemian – $500,000
OL Zachary Thomas – $143,739
The Bears have $23.51 million in dead money, which ranks 13th in the NFL. Chicago traded Robert Quinn to the Eagles last year, and he carries a dead-cap hit north of $13 million this season. The Bears also parted ways with Al-Quadin Muhammad and Trevor Siemian, but they each only have a dead-cap hit of $500,000. Elsewhere, Chicago still carries dead-cap hits for Danny Trevathan ($3.77 million), Tarik Cohen ($1.75 million), Mario Edwards ($2.17 million), Angelo Blackson ($500,000) and Jeremiah Attaochu ($800,000).
How can Bears still save?
The Bears still have the most cap space in the NFL ($32.57 million), so clearing cap space isn’t a priority. If anything, their current cap situation gives them the opportunity to add a top edge rusher still on the market, including Yannick Ngakoue. When looking at the roster, there are a couple of moves Poles could make to free up cap space — even if it’s unlikely to happen. Entering the offseason, many expected Cody Whitehair ($9.9 million in savings) and Lucas Patrick ($3.9 million in savings) to be potential cap casualties. Whitehair is penciled in as the starting center, so his spot is safe. Even though Patrick carries the eighth-highest cap hit — as a non-starter — it’s hard to imagine the team parting ways with him, especially given how things spiraled due to injuries to the offensive line last season. While unlikely, if undrafted rookie Andre Szmyt unseats Cairo Santos this summer, the Bears could save $4 million in cap space by parting ways with Santos.
Spending
Offense: $97.93 million
Defense: $86.48 million
Special teams: $7.9 million
When looking at the spending breakdown, the first thing that stands out is that the Bears are spending the most money on offense for the first time in a long time. Chicago has $97.93 million dedicated to the offense (including newcomers DJ Moore and Nate Davis) while the defense accounts for $86.48 million (a bulk of which includes Eddie Jackson and Tremaine Edmunds).
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