NFL Salary Cap Up $22 Million From Last Season

The NFL is a behemoth. Even while many complain about the product in the field, it seems to never stop growing. Revunues continue to go up, team valuations are way up, and it feels like they can do no wrong. That is evident through the NFL Salary Cap taking another big leap for the 2026 season. Adam Schefter reported that it will jump to $301.2 Million next year. A $22 million increase from the 2025 season.

It jumped $24 million last year, and $21 million the year before that. $22 million is more than the average starter makes at any position besides QB.

The Salary Cap has almost doubled over the past 10 years. At this time in 2016, the Cap was $155 million. At that point, Andrew Luck was the highest-paid player, getting $24,594,00 a season. That number wouldnt even put him in the top 20 for QBs. Dak Prescott now has the highest AAV at $60 million. There are 11 QBs that make more than $50 million per season. If you go outside of QBS, there are 60 players making at least $25 million.

The New league year starts on March 11th. That is when trades and free agent signings can become official. But "Legal Tampering" begins on March 9th, and that is when we will first hear about where free agents are signing. But with the combine already underway, teams and agents are already negotiating contracts.