Best, Worst NFL Salary-Cap Situations in the 2015 Offseason

Some NFL teams are better managed than others. Call me Captain Obvious.

Much of that management deals with the salary cap and the ability to retain or sign effective talent. A head coach can be one of the best in the league, but his team isn't going anywhere if the cupboard is bare. 

Just ask Rex Ryan.

With a projected salary cap near $142 million in mind, as tweeted by CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, let's look at the teams in the best and worst shape from a money standpoint heading into the 2015 offseason.

5th Best: Seattle Seahawks

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The Seattle Seahawks don't have the most cap space in the league, but they are one of the best-positioned teams in the league when it comes to cap management.

Despite signing cornerback Richard Sherman, safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, linebacker K.J. Wright and receiver Doug Baldwin to extensions of varying size, the Seahawks enter the 2015 offseason with roughly $27 million in cap space. 

They will need to use that cap savvy to help them retain quarterback Russell Wilson, left tackle Russell Okung and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner—all of whom are slated to be 2016 free agents as of now—which means this offseason will be more about preserving flexibility than bolstering an already-impressive roster.

5th Worst: Dallas Cowboys

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Vindication was the name of the game in Dallas as the Cowboys went from preseason cellar-dwellers in the NFC East to division champions. 

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones is going to have a tough time keeping the band together this offseason, however.

Several big names are set to hit free agency, and it's unlikely the Cowboys will be able to keep them all without sacrificing every bit of flexibility they may have. Wide receiver Dez Bryant will surely be the highest priority, more so than rushing champion DeMarco Murray.

Granted, the Cowboys have some wiggle room—they should have around $9.6 million heading into the offseason, with roster cuts and restructured contracts looming—but it seems unlikely they will be able to retain all their key contributors from 2014. 

It seems likelier they will try to keep what they can and try to stick with what worked in 2014 while building through the draft. That might work great if the Cowboys were the Seahawks, but it's easy to forget the team was 24-24 in the previous three seasons with similar roster construction.

4th Best: New York Jets

RICH SCHULTZ/Associated Press

There is good news for the incoming general manager in New York: The Jets are in a nice position when it comes to cap space for the 2015 offseason.

The Jets currently have about $51 million in cap space heading into the offseason. Newly minted general manager Mike Maccagnan will need that money to reconstruct a broken roster.

The Jets finished last in the AFC East after years of terrible management at the hands of Mike Tannenbaum and John Idzik. Getting the team back in the fight could happen more quickly than some think if Maccagnan can play the free-agent market like a Wall Street shark.

Of course, New York's biggest problem is probably unfixable in free agency—quarterback. Good thing the Jets have the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft, though.

Perhaps Marcus Mariota will find himself throwing passes to Randall Cobb and Julius Thomas next season.

4th Worst: Kansas City Chiefs

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John Dorsey doesn't have much cap space to work with this offseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs are in a bit of a pickle heading into the offseason.

They are barely in the black when it comes to cap space, and sack master Justin Houston is set to become a free agent. Signing him to a long-term deal is going to be expensive enough, and he may merit the $15 million franchise tag.

Fortunately, there is plenty the Chiefs can do to open up cap space. Unfortunately, that will mean compromising the roster elsewhere.

Houston's mentor and sack-master of yesteryear Tamba Hali may be on his way out of Houston, as Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star says:

"

That’s all good news for Hali, but business is business. The Chiefs’ best future is with the $9 million in cap space they’d get by releasing Hali instead of the good-but-no-longer-elite production they’d get by keeping him.

Hali is a luxury the Chiefs can literally no longer afford. Justin Houston is today’s elite pass-rusher, and Dee Ford may be tomorrow’s. With the roster improvements the Chiefs need, they just can’t have a first-round pick be effectively benched — not only on Sundays, but with practice reps, too — for two years. Ford is talented, hard-working, cheap and eager. The Chiefs owe it to him and themselves to give Ford a chance to work opposite Houston.

"

Receiver Dwayne Bowe may be on his way out, too, leaving the Chiefs with Larry, Moe and Curley to try to get back into the end zone after the position was shut out in 2014.

3rd Best: Cleveland Browns

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Ray Farmer has plenty of room to play with

Another year, another disappointment in Cleveland. To the offseason!

That's where general manager Ray Farmer may be able to do something about the perennially broken Browns, anyway. In fairness, they did hold a midseason lead in the AFC North after a surprising start, but it all fell apart, as things are wont to do in Cleveland.

The Browns are well positioned with salary-cap space even a year after giving cornerback Joe Haden a big contract extension. Cleveland is set to have over $50 million in cap space to play with in free agency for the second consecutive offseason. 

Last year saw new general manager Ray Farmer sign safety Donte Whitner as his biggest free-agent prize, but it was a lateral move to replace the departed T.J. Ward. Beyond that, there wasn't much to see in hindsight—linebacker Karlos Dansby was all right, running back Ben Tate was a disaster and Nate Burleson didn't exactly shore up a skeleton wide receiver crew.

Fortunately, Farmer has another chance to make a splash and add some real quality in free agency.

3rd Worst: Pittsburgh Steelers

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been flirting with cap disaster for years now, and the 2015 offseason isn't going to be much different.

General manager Kevin Colbert has some flexibility with roster cuts, restructuring and re-signing he can do this offseason.

Longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is gone, and another Steeler stalwart may be following him out the door. Cutting veteran Troy Polamalu seems like an inevitability at this point, as is re-signing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a massive extension that actually reduces his 2015 cap number.

The Steelers may be able to carve out some space under the cap, but it may not be enough to make some serious moves in free agency. It will also cost them some talent.

2nd Best: Oakland Raiders

Ben Margot/Associated Press

A year after Oakland entered free agency with the most money to spend, the Raiders find themselves in a similar position.

General manager Reggie McKenzie floundered in free agency last offseason, choosing quantity over quality in what turned out to be another lost year. He gets a mulligan in what is likely his last chance to right the ship from a roster standpoint should the Raiders fail to see a marked improvement in 2015.

With guys like running back DeMarco Murray and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh potentially hitting the market, the Raiders might have some big upgrades in store this offseason if McKenzie plays his hand differently.

2nd Worst: Arizona Cardinals

Matt York/Associated Press

It was a rather unexpected season for the Arizona Cardinals, who nearly won the tough NFC West despite important losses on both sides of the ball. Now the tough task of improving hits.

Signing cornerback Patrick Peterson to a massive deal last season to go along with receiver Larry Fitzgerald's enormous contract has something to do with it. The duo will combine to form a $38.3 million cap number in 2015. Combined with recently re-signed quarterback Carson Palmer, that number goes up to $48.3 million.

It's enough for speculation to arise that Fitzgerald may not be with the team much longer, a notion Cardinals president Michael Bidwell all but shot down on local Arizona radio, per Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com:

"

I think he will. We've said all along that we want to see him retire a Cardinal, and that's many years off, and I'm sure we'll get it worked out.

We've had a couple of conversations that I think were productive and so we'll continue those discussions, or at least (general manager) Steve Keim and his agent will.

"

It's likely they will do some restructuring to gain some flexibility, but the Cardinals won't be able to do much in free agency at this point.

Best: Jacksonville Jaguars

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David Caldwell has his Jaguars positioned to move in free agency.

The Jacksonville Jaguars may still be stuck in the AFC South cellar, but they are primed to claw their way out in 2015.

Not only is the roster improving under general manager Dave Caldwell—including last year's No. 3 pick, Blake Bortles, despite his rocky rookie season under center—but the team is ready to make a real splash in free agency.

Jacksonville has the most cap space in the league heading into the season, a whopping $65.5 million to play with, and they are going to spend it, according to ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Wilkening: 

"

And on Tuesday, Jaguars G.M. David Caldwell said the club’s 'plan' was to 'bring some free agents in' during the 2015 offseason, the third in which Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley have been in their respective positions. Caldwell indicated owner Shad Khan has been willing to spend in free agency, even as the club built a youthful roster under Caldwell’s direction.

"

If the young guns start to meet their potential and Caldwell hits it big in free agency, we could be talking about the Jaguars as the biggest surprise a year from now. 

Worst: New Orleans Saints

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has a tall task ahead.

A year ago, the New Orleans Saints were in cap trouble. They had very little wiggle room, several gaping holes and an elite tight end to retain.

Somehow, general manager Mickey Loomis was able to re-sign Jimmy Graham to a $40 million deal. Not only that, but he was able to sign one of the top free agents on the market—safety Jairus Byrd—to a massive deal and retain right tackle Zack Strief.

How was he able to do that? Creative contract structure, allowing the Saints to minimize cap numbers for 2014 at the expense of later seasons.

The cap chickens are coming home to roost, however.

New Orleans currently is projected to have the least cap space in the league—$21 million over the cap, to be almost precise—meaning there will be some tough decisions to make.

I'd dive into the details, but Bill Barnwell already masterfully broke down how New Orleans managed to descend into the depth of salary-cap hell over at Grantland. In it, he details how the Saints will get under the cap through some more restructuring wizardry.

The problem is that they won't be able to do much else this offseason. 

All salary-cap and free-agent information courtesy of OvertheCap.com. Note that salary numbers are based on the $142 million cap number suggested by Jason La Canfora while OTC uses $140 million. The difference is reflected in projected numbers throughout the article.

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