NFL teams might have an extra $12 million to spend in 2016.
The NFL doesn’t officially calculate its salary cap numbers until a few days before the league year begins on March 9, but an early estimate from NFL Media’s Rand Getlin has next season’s cap increasing to “at least” $155 million. Last season’s cap was $143.28 million.
For the New England Patriots, that leaves over $6.5 million in cap space, per Pats Cap. The team has a good amount of work to do this offseason, as they need help at running back and on the offensive line. Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower all will be unrestricted free agents in 2017, too, unless they can work out extensions, which likely will cost a lot of money.
Of course, these numbers all could change by March, but for now it looks as though the Pats will have their work cut out for them.
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