NFL teams received some welcomed news on Wednesday, as the league informed them that the projected 2026 salary cap is expected to fall between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team, according to league sources. If those projections hold, the league will once again trend upwards, continuing a post-pandemic surge that has reshaped rosters and long-term contracts across the NFL.
NFL salary cap takes another historic leap forward
The projected 2026 cap would represent a massive increase from the 2025 cap of $279.2 million, a jump of roughly $22–26
million in a single year. To put the growth into better perspective, the cap sat at $208.2 million in 2022, meaning teams are now operating with nearly $100 million more in spending power in just four seasons.
That kind of growth was unthinkable during the COVID-impacted years, when the cap dipped to $182.5 million in 2021 and forced teams into difficult decisions.
The continued rise in the salary cap has been driven by several key factors:
- Media rights deals, including broadcast and streaming partnerships
- Expanded regular-season games now at 17
- International growth
- Strong attendance and premium seating sales
All of it flows into the NFL’s revenue-sharing model, where roughly half of football-related income is funneled back to players in the form of the salary cap. Yes, this means all of those different streaming options we all complain about is at least helping our favorite team with expanded cap space.
Why this matters for teams like the Bills
While the exact 2026 cap number won’t be finalized until the league year approaches in March, the Buffalo Bills will be between about $6 million and just under $10 million over the cap. Teams must be under the cap prior to the new league year, which begins at 4 p.m. on March 11, 2026. This means the Bills will have to be proactive in creating space prior to that date.
The increase in the salary cap does still immediately help the Bills who were estimated to be around $11 million over the cap prior to the new projected cap being released by the NFL Wednesday. The Bills do have flexibility to create space and a good deal of it, and with the increase in the cap projection the Bills are not as far behind the curve as they were just a few days ago.
