by: Alex Byington 6 hours ago _AlexByington
The NFL has informed the league’s 32 teams that it is projecting a 2026 salary cap figure ranging between approximately $301.2-305.7 million per organization, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. That figure is another steep jump for the NFL salary cap, which has gone up by nearly $100 million since 2022.
It’s a more than $20 million boost to this current season’s $279.2 million cap number. In fact, after steadily improving by roughly $10 million each year between 2013-20, only to take a roughly $16 million dip in 2021, the NFL’s salary cap has jumped by an average of nearly $24 million over the prior three offseasons.
That includes a sharp $30.6 million boost from $224.8 million in 2023 to $255.4 million in 2024. The exact 2026 salary cap figure is expected to be finalized prior to the league’s official start of free agency on March 11.
With a projected cap of approximately $303.45 million, Spotrac projects seven of the 32 NFL teams will have at least $50 million in cap space entering this coming offseason, including nearly $100 million for the Tennessee Titans , per Spotrac’s estimations. The Las Vegas Raiders , owners of the No. 1 overall pick in April’s 2026 NFL Draft , and the Los Angeles Chargers are ranked second and third with $88.7 and $88 million in cap space, respectively.
At the same time, roughly 12 of the NFL’s teams enter the 2026 offseason with negative cap space. That includes a league-worst $56.7 million deficit for the Kansas City Chiefs .