FEBRUARY 27: The 2026 cap is officially $301.2MM, the league informed its teams on Friday.
JANUARY 30: The NFL has not officially set its 2026 salary cap yet, but it will exceed the $300MM mark for the first time. The league informed its teams that it’s projecting the number to fall between $301.2MM and $305.7MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Surpassing $300MM would represent yet another sizable one-year jump for the league, which set its 2025 cap at $279.2MM. It was only four years ago that the cap checked in north of $200MM for the first time. With the exception of 2021, the first post-COVID campaign, the number has gone up by at least $10MM in each season since 2013. Here’s a year-by-year look (via Pelissero):
2013: $123M
2014: $133M
2015: $143.28M
2016: $155.27M
2017: $167M
2018: $177.2M
2019: $188.2M
2020: $198.2M
2021: $182.5M
2022: $208.2M
2023: $224.8M
2024: $255.4M
2025: $279.2M
The pandemic, which led to stadiums with either no fans or limited attendance, caused the cap to fall 8% from 2020-21. A half-decade later, it’s clear the league’s financial situation is in a much better place. The additions of a 17th regular-season game and two extra playoff teams have contributed to the cap surge. Expensive media rights deals and and more gambling partnerships have also played significant roles.
The cap increasing by $20MM-plus before free agency opens in March will be a welcome boost for teams, especially those in dire need of spending room, and players alike. George Pickens, Daniel Jones, Trey Hendrickson, Tyler Linderbaum, Odafe Oweh, Alec Pierce and Breece Hall are among the headliners who could hit the open market.
We’re also sure to see more lucrative contract extensions in 2026. Josh Allen, Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett, Ja’Marr Chase and Brock Purdy are among the players who signed massive extensions in 2025.