An update on the Bucs’ Salary Cap ahead of the 2023 NFL draft
The NFL draft is finally here, and the Bucs are ready to welcome some new players to the fold. But how much cap space will the team need to bring them all on?
When a player is drafted, their cap hit immediately counts toward the salary cap. Space-clearing doesn’t need to happen immediately, though — only the 51 top-paid players will initially count against the cap, and every contract is initially set at $750,000 for all rookies. That will change when those rookies actually sign their deals, of course, so something will eventually be done.
The Bucs have had considerable trouble with the cap all offseason, and that won’t change now. As it stands, the team only has $1,871,398 million in cap space according to Sportrac. That won’t nearly be enough to sign nine potential picks, so the Buccaneers will have to clear up some of that space as the offseason goes along.
Cuts and restructures may have to occur to make that happen, but Jason Licht and his squad will have a little bit of time to do so as the offseason continues after the draft.
