NFL salary cap crosses $300 million ahead of 2026 season

The NFL officially announced the league’s salary cap will increase to $301.2 million per team in the 2026 season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday.

The official numbers are on the low end of the increase that was reported in late January, but it still marks a $22 million increase. The $301.2 million mark is the highest ever, and the first time the cap has crossed the $300 million threshold. It has nearly doubled in the past decade.

Spotrac recently updated its salary cap database to include the new number, projecting the Steelers to have around $44 million in top-51 cap space entering the new league year, which ranks eighth in the league. Pittsburgh is expected to have three players taking up over $20 million in cap space each in 2026: T.J. Watt ($42 million), D.K. Metcalf ($31 million), and Alex Highsmith ($20.1 million).

The NFL legal tampering period for free agency will open at noon EST March 9. But before then, the Steelers can work to re-sign some of their pending free agents. You can view a full list here.