Jan. 30, 2026, 2:02 p.m. MT
The NFL’s salary cap continues to rise, with a big jump expected in 2026.
The league informed teams today that it expects the salary cap to fall between $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club in 2026, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Even the low end of that estimate would mark a large jump from last year’s $279.2 million salary cap. It will also mark an increase of more than $100 million since the 2020 season ($198.2 million).
What that means is more available cap space for the Denver Broncos (and the 31 other teams). Before the NFL released Friday’s estimated cap, OverTheCap.com had been projecting a salary cap of $295.5 million in 2026. The league’s actual cap will be at least $5.7 million more than that, and possibly as much as $10.2 million more.
That adds up to more cap flexibility for Broncos general manager George Paton as the team approaches NFL free agency. OCT says Denver has roughly $275,636,313 counting against their 2026 salary cap. That would leave the team with somewhere between about $25.5 million to $30 million, depending on the exact number the cap ends up being. The NFL will announce a finalized figure before free agency begins in March.
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