The National Football League anticipates a substantial rise in its salary cap for the 2026 season. Reports from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network indicate that each team’s cap limit is expected to fall between $301.2 million and $305.7 million.
This development extends a pattern of ascending salary caps observed across the prior two campaigns. The previous season saw the cap set at $279.2 million, while in 2022, it stood at $208.2 million, signifying a growth of almost $100 million within a mere five-year span up to the current figure. With the exception of the 2021 season, which experienced impacts from the global COVID-19 crisis, the league’s spending ceiling has expanded annually.
Prior to this projected cap expansion, analyses from Overthecap.com suggested the Tennessee Titans would possess the greatest financial flexibility for 2026. The Las Vegas Raiders, who additionally hold the premier selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, alongside the Los Angeles Chargers, the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, and the New York Jets, collectively form the top five teams with the most anticipated salary cap availability.
Conversely, Overthecap’s projections indicated that the Kansas City Chiefs were expected to exceed the cap by over $60 million in the upcoming season, representing the largest deficit across the NFL. Following the Chiefs are the Minnesota Vikings, who face the challenge of managing the second-highest cap shortfall without their former General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns complete the five teams identified as having the most constrained salary cap situations.
