NFL Reportedly Sets Salary Cap; Patriots Have At Least $13M In Space

The 2018 NFL salary cap has been set at $177.2 million per team, ESPN’s Field Yates reported Monday night, citing sources.

That’s up from $167 million in 2017, and it means the New England Patriots have at least $13 million in cap space as they enter the second month of the offseason, though there are conflicting opinions on that figure.

— The Boston Sports Journal’s cap expert, Miguel Benzen, calculates the Patriots have $14,650,554 in space.

— Spotrac.com calculates the Patriots have $16,607,974 in space.

— OverTheCap.com calculates the Patriots have $13,127,289 in space.

New England can nearly double that cap space by releasing tight ends Martellus Bennett and Dwayne Allen and by not picking up defensive tackle Alan Branch’s contract option.

The Patriots could free up more cap space by releasing players like linebacker Shea McClellin and running back Mike Gillislee, although they would need to replace those players, since they have needs at both positions. It might be worthwhile to keep McClellin and Gillislee at their current cap figures.