NFL salary cap will skyrocket next season to record $301.2 million per club

The NFL salary cap is dramatically increasing in 2026, as the league announced on Friday that the cap will be at $301,200,000. That's a jump of around $22 million from 2025.  

Total projected player costs will exceed $10 billion, which comes out to $378.8 million in player spending per club.

This continues the trend of the salary cap going up over the last two seasons. In 2024, the cap was at $255.4 million. The 2026 cap is nearly $100 million more than in 2022, marking a significant increase in just five seasons. Outside of the 2021 season, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL's salary cap has increased every season.

The Tennessee Titans were projected to have the most cap space in 2026 before this salary increase, per Overthecap.com. The Las Vegas Raiders, who also hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, along with the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders, round out the top five in terms of available cap space.

The Dallas Cowboys were projected to be over the cap by more than $60 million next season, most in the NFL, per Overthecap. They're followed by the Minnesota Vikings, who will be navigating having the second-largest cap deficit without former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints round out the bottom five in cap space.