With a set of draft picks on the way who’ll require signing, and any concurrent (or post)-draft maneuvering to sort out, it’s always a good time to check in on the various salary cap situations around the NFL. We already knew how tightly the Chicago Bears were hugging to the line, including a last-minute Kyle Fuller cut to get under the cap for the flip of the league year (with just brutal financial implications).
Indeed, the Bears have been such cap wizards that they head into the draft … with the least cap space available in the entire NFL (yes, lower than the Saints):
As draft week begins, a look at how much cap space each team has, from Jacksonville to Chicago.
Money to spend to sign draft classes, remaining free agents and potential post-draft moves. pic.twitter.com/ygS7NHe4Ti
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 26, 2021
With just over $400,000 in cap space, the Bears are going to have to make additional moves just to sign their draft class. That could mean finally cutting ties with Jimmy Graham, or maybe an Akiem Hicks draft day trade comes together. We’ll see, but something’s gotta give. Over the Cap estimates that the Bears’ rookie class – if they stood pat with their picks – would cost them around $8 million in 2021 cap space to sign.
It’s pretty remarkable how little room to maneuver the Bears have left themselves with – again: far less than the average team, and the least in football – despite a roster that isn’t exactly brimming with Super Bowl-contending talent.