The Atlanta Falcons hired Ian Cunningham as general manager on Thursday, giving the former Chicago Bears front office assistant a big workload. With the Falcons holding no first-round pick in 2026, Cunningham is already behind most of his peers in the starting lineup.
However, teams have received some good news from the NFL, with the salary cap expected to increase again at the start of the new league year. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, each team’s salary cap allocation is expected to exceed $300 million in 2026.
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“The NFL informed clubs today that each club’s salary cap is expected to be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million in 2026, according to sources,” Pelissero said. “That would be another significant jump from this year’s cap of $279.2 million and nearly $100 million above the 2022 cap of $208.2 million.”
This is a good break for Atlanta and other teams short on cap space. After the NFL’s projected salary cap increase in 2026, the Falcons currently have a salary cap hit of $25,415,602.
Falcons projected salary cap space in 2026: $25.4 million
So, what’s next for the Falcons? We may have to wait until general manager Ian Cunningham is introduced on Tuesday to hear about the team’s plans for free agency and the 2026 draft. Cunningham’s press conference is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3 at 11 a.m. ET.
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Atlanta’s new general manager will be unveiled at Mercedes-Benz Stadium alongside Falcons president of football Matt Ryan.
“It’s been incredible the past few weeks to build a relationship with Matt and an immediate connection with Kevin,” Cunningham said in a statement. “I can’t wait to work with these two great football minds to put a team on the field that everyone is very excited about. We all share a vision for what the Atlanta Falcons should and will be, and now it’s time to get started.”
Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is one of a handful of key players set to hit free agency at the end of the league year. Check out the team’s 2026 free agent roster below (gallery).
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Updated 2026 salary cap space projections
