Feb. 1, 2026, 5:30 a.m. ET

The Atlanta Falcons hired Ian Cunningham as their general manager on Thursday, and the former Chicago Bears front office assistant has his work cut out for him. Since the Falcons have no first-round pick in 2026, Cunningham is already starting behind most of his peers.

However, the team received some good news from the NFL as the projected salary cap is expected to go up once again when the new league year begins. The 2026 cap allotment for each team is expected to be over $300 million, 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,” said Pelissero. “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.”

That’s a nice break for Atlanta and other team that was low on cap space. Over the Cap currently lists the Falcons with $25,415,602 available following the NFL’s projected salary cap increase in 2026.

Falcons’ projected salary cap space in 2026: $25.4 million

So, what’s next for the Falcons? We’ll likely have to wait until general manager Ian Cunningham is introduced on Tuesday to hear the team’s plans for free agency and the draft in 2026. Cunningham’s press conference is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 11 a.m. ET.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

Atlanta’s new general manager will be introduced alongside Falcons president of football Matt Ryan at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“It’s been incredible to build a relationship with Matt over the last several weeks and to have an immediate connection with Kevin,” said Cunningham in a statement. “I can’t wait to work with both of these great football minds to put a team on the field everyone will be very excited about. We all share the same vision for what the Atlanta Falcons should and will be and it’s time to work.”

Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is one of a handful of key players set to become free agents when the league year expires. Check out the team’s list of free agents in 2026 below (gallery).