The 2022 NFL season still has one more game left to be played -- Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles -- but that won't stop the league from planning for the 2023 campaign.
The league on Monday told teams the salary cap for the 2023 season will be $224.8 million, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. This figure is a league record and about $16 million higher than the 2022 cap number.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
How does this cap number impact the New England Patriots? Patriots cap expert Miguel Benzan projects New England will have a little more than $34 million in cap space, which would be the sixth-most of any team.
The Patriots do have several free agents they should re-sign if possible. One of the most notable names is Jakobi Meyers, who led all Patriots wide receivers in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2022.
If the Patriots go into free agency in March with more than $10-15 million in cap space, a couple positions that should be prioritized are offensive tackle, wide receiver and cornerback. These three positions will probably be addressed during the 2023 NFL Draft, too, but bringing in some veterans via free agency would help the roster as well.