Feb. 26, 2026, 2:00 p.m. ET
As the Atlanta Falcons prepare for the start of NFL free agency, they will need to find a way to create more cap space. Otherwise, the team won’t be able to do much aside from adding a few bargain-bin free agents. Currently the Falcons have around $13.9 million available for the 2026 NFL season.
On Wednesday, Atlanta released wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge to free up around $2.6 million in cap space. The Falcons are also planning to release veteran Kirk Cousins when the new league begins on March 11. Since the team is expected to release Cousins with a post-June 1 designation, it will free up another $2.1 million for 2026.
However, these two cuts will add over $23 million to Atlanta’s dead money total. Hodge’s contract will add $625,000, while Cousins’ will add a whopping $22.5 million. It’s not as bad as Matt Ryan’s $40 million dead cap hit in 2022, but it’s still a nice chunk of change.
So, how much dead money will the Falcons have in 2026? Let’s take a look at each player’s individual total.
Falcons projected dead money total in 2026: $27,785,354Kirk Cousins (projected): $22.5 millionDavid Onyemata: $2,425,000 millionYounghoe Koo: $$1,250,000KhaDarel Hodge (projected): $625,000Morgan Fox: $750,000Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
NFL free agency officially starts on March 11, with the legal tampering period opening two days earlier on March 9. Expect Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham to make more moves over the next week.
