21. Detroit Lions
Available Cap Space — $10,891,130
Unfortunately for the Lions, their troubled cap situation is largely a result of the old CBA. The unreasonable contracts given to first-round picks before the implementation of a rookie wage scale weakened the leverage that the Lions had when negotiating contracts for Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, and now Ndamukong Suh. GM Martin Mayhew has already been forced to part ways with wide receiever Nate Burleson, safety Louis Delmas, and guard Leroy Harris this offseason. Extending Suh, and in turn reducing his $22,412,500 2014 cap number would provide the Lions with some flexibility in the present. But even if a Suh extension isn’t completed, Mayhew’s lack of job security means he needs to win now. I’d look for the Lions to pursue a free agent wide receiver to play across from Megatron.
22. Tennessee Titans
Available Cap Space — $10,013,952
Currently about $10 million under the cap, the Titans would create an additional $6 million with the release of Chris Johnson. (Johnson has a $10 million 2014 cap number, and his release would cost the Tennessee $4 million in dead money.) Another $4.8 million could be created (with no dead money attached) with the release of wideout Nate Washington, who turns 31 in August. Washington is overpaid, but may be needed, as Damian Williams and troubled Kenny Britt are both unrestricted free agents. Ultimately, the Titans' cap situation is undesirable. Their top free agent -- cornerback Alterraun Verner -- will almost certainly be playing elsewhere in 2014.
23. Kansas City Chiefs
Available Cap Space — $9,936,444
After the release of cornerback Dunta Robinson, the Chiefs have just under $10 million of cap room. They currently have $115,889,966 in 2015 cap obligations, the fourth highest number of any team. Kansas City’s cap scenario will prevent them from being heavily involved in 2014 free agency. However, they don’t have many holes to fill.
24. San Francisco 49ers
Available Cap Space — $8,424,776
San Francisco’s situation is similar to Kansas City’s. Like the Chiefs, the 49ers have a roster loaded with talent but don’t have much money to spend. Carlos Rogers, a prime candidate for release, would save the Niners $5,105,468. Yet this money saved would be used to lock up their current talent (an extension for Colin Kaepernick is imminent), not on open market difference-makers.
25. Houston Texans
Available Cap Space — $8,325,377
Andre Johnson’s wildly successful 2013 actually hurt the Texans. His 2014 cap hit -- which now stands at $15,644,583 -- has increased due to contract escalators. Houston will get a boost in cap room if it releases Matt Schaub ($14,125,000 2014 cap hit), but the $10,500,000 of dead money associated with Schaub equals cap savings of only $3,625,000. Finding a franchise quarterback is far and away the Texans' most important offseason task.
26. Chicago Bears
Available Cap Space — $8,253,726
In actuality, this $8 million dollar figure will almost certainly be closer to $18 million. Julius Peppers is set to count $18,183,333 against the cap, and the $8 million-plus in dead money that the Bears would have to eat via cutting Peppers isn’t a big enough deterrent. Free agent defensive tackle Henry Melton is going to test the open market, and the fact that Chicago has not yet locked him up does not bode well for his return. Expect GM Phil Emery, who should be commended on his structuring of Jay Cutler’s extension -- his $22,500,000 cap hit in 2014 means the Bears can cut him with no questions asked after next season -- to be active in free agency.
27. Carolina Panthers
Available Cap Space — $6,604,214
Second-year GM Dave Gettleman made a risky move when he slapped the $13.1 million franchise tag on star pass-rusher Greg Hardy. Unless Hardy’s 2014 cap number is decreased via a long-term deal, Carolina’s two starting defensive ends will have a combined 2014 cap hit of almost $30 million. With Cam Newton entering the final year of his rookie deal and the contract of reigning DPOY Luke Kuechly expiring after 2015, Gettleman and the Panthers have some tough decisions in the future.
28. St. Louis Rams
Available Cap Space — $6,396,233
Like Detroit, St. Louis’ poor cap situation is not entirely their own fault. Sam Bradford and his $17,610,000 2014 cap number -- a byproduct of the pre-rookie-scale CBA -- has put the Rams' organization in a bind. Their $6,396,233 of available cap room will increase to over $10 million when Cortland Finnegan officially becomes cut. Even so, their financial situation likely prohibits them from being big players in free agency.
29. San Diego Chargers
Available Cap Space -- $3,274,080
The Chargers’ have had an active pre-free agency period. After cutting Derek Cox and Le'Ron McClain, veteran wideout Eddie Royal has agreed to restructure his contract. The specifics have not yet been determined, but the Chargers should gain some room via converting his base salary into earnable incentives.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers
Available Cap Space — $3,034,434
The Steelers have pulled some strings to get under the 2014 salary cap. Cutting trade bust Levi Brown cleared $6 million off the books (with no dead money hit). After surprisingly placing the transition tag on Jason Worilds, Pittsburgh was forced to restructure the deals of Troy Polamalu, Heath Miller and Antonio Brown. It’s imperative that GM Kevin Colbert has a successful draft, as the Steelers' tight cap situation and aging roster are undesirable.
31. New Orleans Saints
Available Cap Space — $2,154,240
For New Orleans, actions speak louder than words. By cutting Will Smith, Jabari Greer, Lance Moore, Roman Harper (and possibly Darren Sproles) loose, the Saints are letting everybody know that locking up Jimmy Graham is their primary task. The Saints should be able to devote all of their attention to the Graham situation, as their lack of cap space means they won’t be too busy in free agency.
32. Dallas Cowboys
Available Cap Space — $639,057
Jerry Jones’ cap problems have been well documented, to say the least. The Cowboys got under the cap just in time for the new league year, but not by much. Dallas has $134,119,523 in cap obligations for 2015, which includes Tony Romo’s monstrous $28 million cap number. With the contracts of Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith and DeMarco Murray all set to expire after the season, the franchise could be in some trouble if the salary cap doesn’t significantly rise again next year. Step one would be to release DeMarcus Ware in the coming days.