As the regular season approaches, plenty of teams still have plenty of cap space.
Leading the way are the Jaguars, with a whopping $28.7 million to spend. The Chiefs rank second with $26.6 million. The Eagles are the only other team with more than $20 million, at $20.2 million.
The Texans and Lions reside at the other end of the spectrum, with $2.3 million each.
The full list is right here.
Until the start of the regular season, only the top 51 cap numbers factor in to the calculation. Once the season begins, all players on the 53-man roster -- along with all players on any reserve list -- must fit under the cap.
Unlike past labor deals, teams may now carry over any remaining cap space automatically, from one year to the next. Also, the per-team spending minimum still does not apply until 2013.
So there’s no a longer a “use-it-or-lose-it” component to the salary cap. And there’s no requirement to use it until next year. Even then, the excess carried over from past years isn’t subject to the 89-percent spending minimum.