Today, the NFLPA announced the official NFL salary cap number for 2017, which is just about what everyone was expecting, at $167 million.
Thanks to their rollover funds from 2016, the Chicago Bears will have a salary cap just over $175 million:
The salary cap is set at $167M per team. This is the 4th consecutive year it's ⬆️ $10M+, which means more ? for players. #securethebag pic.twitter.com/SbPXhJRhwW
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) March 1, 2017
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As you can see, the Bears’ figure is the highest in the NFC North, and the 8th highest figure overall. Moreover, with a lot of space available under that cap, the Bears could do a lot of damage this offseason if they were so inclined.
The question is whether it’s going to be worth spending too aggressively this offseason when competitiveness in 2017 can’t be assured, given the many questions all over the roster. Preserving in-season flexibility and building in some carryover into 2018 may be among the Bears’ peripheral considerations this offseason.