NFL salary cap set at $123 million for 2013

The NFL salary cap has been officially set at $123 million for the 2013 season, which is up $3 million from the latest predictions, according to NFL Network's Albert Breer and NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

The $3 million increase from what was originally predicted will come as good news to cash-strapped teams like the Steelers, Ravens, Patriots and several others. This also means that the league year is ready to begin on March 9 when teams can officially enter into contract negotiations with unrestricted free agents.

Since the league played with no salary cap in 2010, the cap has risen from $120 million in 2011 to $120.6 million in 2012 before jumping fairly drastically to $123 million. The extra $2.6 million likely won't help any team add any high-profile free agents to their roster, but it should help sign draft picks and lock in restricted free agents.

All teams can carry their extra cap space from 2012 over to 2013, except for the Cowboys and Redskins, who have been penalized.

When it comes to the the most room under the cap, the top few teams are the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins. The teams that have the most work to do to get under the cap include the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets.

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