Here’s how much salary cap space the Chicago Bears have at the start of 2023 free agency

The Chicago Bears’ trade with Carolina that sent the Panthers the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for the No. 9 and 61 picks this year, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-rounder, and wide receiver D.J. Moore will impact more than just the on-field production for the Bears in 2023. It also affects how much money they can spend in free agency.

With Moore’s contract factored in, Chicago’s spending power drops. That’s the bad news. The good news? General manager Ryan Poles still has the most salary-cap space in the NFL by nearly $10 million.

The 5 teams with the most cap space entering free agency:

1. Bears: $72,745,262
2. Falcons: $62,926,591
3. Raiders: $42,100,788
4. Texans: $40,653,051
5. Bengals: $35,084,353

Note: the Bears’ total includes D.J. Moore’s cap hit, the Texans’ doesn’t include Robert Woods’ unknown…

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 12, 2023

Monday kicks off the two-day negotiation window for teams to agree to contract terms with unrestricted free agents. Deals aren’t binding until they’re signed at the start of the new league year (March 15 at 4 pm. EST.)

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The Chicago Bears are expected to be aggressive early in 2023 free agency. Poles will focus most of his cap space on the offensive and defensive lines, with players like offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (49ers) and defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones (Broncos) ranking high on his list.

We’ll have all angles of 2023 free agency covered here on Bears Talk.