10 Most Comfortable NFL Teams in Salary Cap Standings

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With the new CBA agreement in hand and the free-agency pool fairly shallow, teams currently know where they stand financially.

There are many teams that are currently in good standing with the cap, but which of these teams are not only under the cap, but also have the platform to use the freedom of cap space to sign some big fish in next year's free agency pool?

 

All salary-cap information contained in this slideshow was obtained from Jason La Canfora via NFL.com as of August 4th, 2011.

10. New York Jets

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The New York Jets are currently $8,920,939 under the salary cap and are considered by many to be the trendy Super Bowl pick of the 2011 season.

Pair roughly $9 million up with Rex Ryan's "I want everybody" attitude, and the Jets will be a force to  be reckoned with in next year's free agency. New York is an attractive destination for many veteran players to finish their careers.

9. Green Bay Packers

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The defending Super Bowl champions not only have rings on their fingers, but they also have dollar bills to spread around to other veteran players.

The Packers are $11,106,997 under the cap and will do anything in order to stay atop of a league full of parity.

8. Arizona Cardinals

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After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 43, the Arizona Cardinals have failed to be legitimate contenders. They failed to make the playoffs last season, but have made some splashes in this offseason with the acquisition of QB Kevin Kolb.

The Cardinals are $14,603,051 under the cap. They just locked up Larry Fitzgerald until possibly the end of his career, so with this money and such stars, the Cardinals are sitting pretty well under the cap.

7. Seattle Seahawks

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The Seattle Seahawks were on the upper hand of the biggest upset in the 2010 playoffs by defeating the New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks signed some big weapons, WR Sidney Rice to name one, and are in hopes of winning one of the weakest division in the entire NFL.

The Seahawks are $16,387,368 under the cap and could attract some players in the future with a good 2011 season.

6. Chicago Bears

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The Chicago Bears signed DE Julius Peppers two years ago and he definitely made an impact for them during their run to the NFC championship game. They have tradition, talent and money to spend.

The Bears are $19,299,218 under the cap and have shown in the past that they can sign a big name.

5. San Francisco 49ers

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Ever since the Joe Montana/Steve Young era, the 49ers have essentially been irrelevant in the grand scheme of the NFL. Alex Smith has yet to prove himself and the 49ers just hired a new coach.

Having said this, the 49ers are $22,570,511 under the cap and have the luster to attract veteran players.

4. Denver Broncos

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The Broncos just recently named Kyle Orton as their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2011 season. This means that their prized draft pick, Tim Tebow, will have to wait his turn before taking the reins over as quarterback.

The Broncos need to add some weapons before any of these quarterbacks will succeed in the NFL.

With $26,542,469 the Broncos have more than enough money to spend for big-time players, but do any want to play in Denver?

3. Cleveland Browns

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The Cleveland Browns are one of the best young up-and-coming teams in the NFL. Peyton Hillis is the next big thing in the NFL and the team has higher expectations this year than they have in the past.

Currently, they are sitting very nicely and have plenty of room to play with $27,621,161 under the salary cap. They have a huge amount of money to spend if they wish to improve their team.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

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Last season, the Chiefs ended their skid and made the playoffs. They have one of the best running backs in the NFL, coupled with one of the best overall offenses in the NFL. They also have a crazy amount of money to spend in order to get better. Expect them to do big things this year.

The Chiefs are $28,431,354 under the cap and whether or not they choose to spend the money is up to their front office, but this team is one or two players away from being an elite team in the AFC.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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The outlook on the Buccaneers season could not be any better. The only conceivable issue with them is that their division, the NFC South, is the best in the NFL.

Young Josh Freeman is poised to have a breakout year and could potentially be one of the selling points to free agents next year.

Tampa is $29,560,557 under the cap and is itching to return to the glory days of the late 1990s and early 2000s. They have the most cap space and the best outlook down the road looking into the future.

Honorable Mention

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The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals both have a huge amount of cap space, but are not the most desirable destinations for free agents.

Jacksonville could be shipped off to L.A. before we know it, which could attract some free agents, but if someone wants to talk about two teams that will not compete for a very long time, here they are.