In four months, the New York Jets’ roster will look vastly different from the one that closed the 2025 season. They have plenty of holes to fill and plenty of cap space to fill them.

After the latest news surrounding the NFL’s cap, the Jets will find themselves with even more cap space than expected.

The NFL projected a salary cap increase of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per team for 2026, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The NFL informed clubs today it is projecting a 2026 salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club, per source.

That would represent another significant jump from this year’s $279.2 million cap number, and nearly $100M than the $208.2M cap in 2022. pic.twitter.com/3Mr146H01C

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2026

That would be an increase of at least $22 million from 2025’s $279.2 million.

For an organization like the Jets, this is major news. With one of the thinnest rosters in football, they will benefit greatly from the extra spending power.

But just how much cap space will the team have in 2026?

Jets’ 2026 cap situation

A projection from one source may differ from that of another. For example, per Over The Cap, the Jets are projected to have $74.3 million in cap space as of Jan. 31, which ranks fifth-highest in the NFL. According to Spotrac, though, they are projected to have $82.7 million, which places fourth.

Either way, the Jets are set to rank top-five among NFL teams in cap room entering the 2026 offseason. It gives them plenty of flexibility to improve the roster from top to bottom.

There will also be ways for the Jets to increase their cap space. A future release of defensive tackle Harrison Phillips could add $7.5 million in space. New York can also clear $10 million in space by releasing Justin Fields with a post-June 1 designation (although this would push $9 million in dead money to 2027).

If the Jets make both moves, they would be comfortably over $90 million in cap space, regardless of which projection you trust.

For a team that needs help at quarterback, wide receiver, defensive tackle, edge rushers, linebacker, cornerback, safety, and even running back, the Jets need as many resources as they can get.

That’s why the league’s updated cap projection might be better news for the Jets than any other team.