NFL announces 2026 salary cap, leaving Patriots in good shape

The New England Patriots are unlikely to be duplicating last year’s spending spree, but they are still in a comfortable financial position this offseason. The NFL’s newly-announced salary cap for the 2026 season, after all, gives them plenty of flexibility.

According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the league informed its clubs on Friday that the spending ceiling for the upcoming season has been set at a record $301.2 million per team. For comparison, the cap was set at $279.2 million for the 2025 season.

While on the lower end of the previously shared projection, the 7.9% increase from 2025 to 2026 still marks another major jump in the cap. In the five years since taking a one-year dip due to the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, it has now grown by more than $100 million and almost doubled over the last decade.

New England, as noted above, is in decent shape heading into 2026.

According to salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf is currently projected to be $41.29 million under the cap with 63 players signed for the upcoming season. This places them ninth in a league-wide comparison.

The Patriots may be less financially flexible as last year, when they were near the top of the table and ended up spending almost $350 million, but they still have the resources available to maintain the quality of their roster and add outside talent. At the moment, after all, only 14 of their players are headed for free agency, with defensive linemen Khyiris Tonga and K’Lavon Chaisson as well as safety Jaylinn Hawkins the most prominent names on the list.

Free agency and the 2026 NFL league year are set to open on Mar. 11 at 4 p.m. ET.