Free agency is one of the best ways an NFL team can engineer a stunning turnaround and go from bottom feeder to perennial contender. If you need proof of that, look no further than the New England Patriots, who, after spending the most money in free agency last offseason, surged to the Super Bowl after winning just four games in 2024.
In order to make those moves, however, an NFL team has to have an adequate amount of salary cap space. With the rising costs of player contracts and the exorbitant amount of money required to sign a quarterback to a second contract, some teams are in far worse shape to add talent as free agency fast approaches.
It doesn't have to be that way, of course. A team can drastically alter its situation with a key release or trade, suddenly freeing up the necessary funds to make that one move that finally puts it over the edge.
With free agency on the horizon, here's the amount of cap space with which each team is working this offseason.
When does NFL free agency start?
NFL players can officially sign with their new teams March 11 at 4 p.m. ET. While deals can't become official until that date and time, there's a bit of a catch to NFL free agency.
NFL legal tampering period, explained
NFL free agency can be broken down into two phases: the legal tampering period and the signing period. The legal tampering period, which will begin Monday, March 9 at noon ET, allows teams to get in touch with agents and start negotiating contracts with players. Players can't technically be signed during this period, which lasts until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11.
Contracts, however, can essentially be completely behind the scenes, meaning there should be plenty of reports and rumors about where premier free agents are going during the legal tampering period.
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Once 4 p.m. ET hits on March 11, the signing period begins, and free-agent moves (and trades) can become official. This is the point in free agency where teams start putting out releases and social-media posts announcing player signings.
What is the NFL salary cap?
More broadly, the NFL salary cap is a set dollar amount that NFL teams can not exceed with their player contracts. It seeks to create a more even playing field among all NFL teams, as no one team can vastly outspend another. That's not the casein a sport like baseball, where the Los Angeles Dodgers can run a $318 million payroll and the Miami Marlins can come in at $76.6 million.
For 2026, the NFL set the salary cap at $301.2 million. All 32 teams need to be under that number by the start of the new league year, which is slated for March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
What is dead money in the NFL?
Most mentions of a team's salary cap situation typically include the term "dead money." That figure is the amount of money a team is paying a player who is no longer employed by the team. For example, despite releasing veteran wideout Stefon Diggs, the Patriots are still charged $9.7 million toward the salary cap due to Diggs' dead-cap number. The move ultimately saved the team roughly $15 million, though, because Diggs' 2026 cap hit was set to be $26 million in 2026.
When trying to determine how close a team is to hitting the salary cap, you need to include a team's dead money number in the equation.
NFL salary cap tracker
With all that out of the way, here's how each team sits ahead of free agency in 2026:
(All figures via OvertheCap.com)
Los Angeles Chargers
$198,486,367
$99,055,741
Tennessee Titans
$213,056,097
$17,069,272
$92,691,559
Las Vegas Raiders
$191,631,472
$34,812,266
$86,025,607
New York Jets
$157,502,049
$91,246,438
$73,886,113
Washington Commanders
$237,133,738
$20,692,736
$69,991,063
Seattle Seahawks
$253,840,022
$58,081,261
Cincinnati Bengals
$251,479,006
$11,248,222
$47,238,882
Pittsburgh Steelers
$258,208,286
$12,221,838
$46,227,382
Arizona Cardinals
$260,723,155
$14,434,104
$39,697,226
New England Patriots
$289,460,498
$21,790,382
$39,281,396
San Francisco 49ers
$263,132,123
$29,893,741
$37,530,476
Los Angeles Rams
$272,963,794
$27,459,655
Denver Broncos
$276,755,391
$25,228,534
Kansas City Chiefs
$265,940,605
$24,888,634
Houston Texans
$222,849,818
$63,366,709
$22,489,837
New Orleans Saints
$230,681,600
$65,798,682
$20,032,740
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
$293,339,073
$19,962,510
Baltimore Ravens
$276,021,158
$16,002,715
$18,557,187
Philadelphia Eagles
$249,451,996
$50,921,852
$12,525,188
New York Giants
$283,300,257
Dallas Cowboys
$290,307,014
$25,994,177
Carolina Panthers
$287,950,323
$14,382,844
Chicago Bears
$287,870,070
$12,917,993
Atlanta Falcons
$291,513,644
Green Bay Packers
$287,912,619
$17,165,048
Miami Dolphins
$235,539,497
$73,949,387
-$1,949,137
Indianapolis Colts
$305,468,497
-$4,715,711
Jacksonville Jaguars
$269,947,778
$43,863,713
-$6,049,652
Detroit Lions
$310,377,163
$17,024,791
Cleveland Browns
$309,873,765
$33,373,848
-$17,193,567
Buffalo Bills
$301,616,489
$30,093,166
-$30,093,166
Minnesota Vikings
$353,414,552
-$46,675,553
