The NFL’s salary cap will increase significantly in 2026, with the league announcing on Friday that the salary cap will reach $301,200,000. This is an increase of approximately $22 million from 2025.
Total player costs are expected to exceed $10 billion, or $378.8 million per club.
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This continues a trend of salary cap increases over the past two seasons. In 2024, the cap is $255.4 million. The 2026 cap hit is nearly $100 million higher than 2022, marking a significant increase in just five seasons. The NFL’s salary cap will increase every season except for the 2021 season, which is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to this raise, the Tennessee Titans were projected to have the most cap space in 2026, Overthecap.com reported. The Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, joining the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders in the top five in terms of available salary space.
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According to Overthecap, the Dallas Cowboys are expected to make $60 million over the salary cap next season, with most of that in the NFL. Not far behind are the Minnesota Vikings, who will face their second-largest payroll deficit without former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints round out the bottom five in terms of cap space.
