The NFL is preparing for another big salary cap increase.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Friday that the league has told teams the 2026 salary cap is projected to land between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team, a sharp rise from the $279.2 million cap in 2025.
In a development that will significantly shape roster construction across the league, this number dwarfs where things were less than a half-decade ago.
The new cap projection will exceed a $20 million jump from last season, and nearly $100 million from the league’s cap for the 2022 campaign, which was $208.2 million.
More recently, the cap sat at $224.8 million in 2023, meaning teams would be operating with roughly $80 million more flexibility in just three seasons.
While a higher cap technically benefits every team in the league, its impact will vary.
The Titans are expected to enter the summer with around $100 million in cap space, which will likely be used to surround 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward with additional talent, along with solidifying their defense for new head coach Robert Saleh.
The Jets are also expected to have significant room to maneuver, with possibly $75 million in cap space, which would be among the top five in the NFL.
Unfortunately, this cap increase might not do much for teams like the Chiefs, Vikings and Cowboys. All three are expected to have negative cap space and will likely need to sell off one or multiple players to create flexibility this offseason.
The Chiefs are expected to be over the cap by north of $50 million as of Friday, but of course, all of these numbers are to be determined until the offseason is in progress.
The cap will likely affect the league tremendously as players with partially or non-guaranteed deals are likely to be cut over the next few weeks, with other star-caliber players possibly being rumored in trades, like Eagles receiver AJ Brown.
The expected top free agents this offseason should include Cowboys wideout George Pickens, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Jets running back Breece Hall.
