NFL Teams' Updated Salary Cap for 2026 Free Agency After Franchise Tag Deadline

Most of the NFL did not get involved in this year's franchise and transition tag period, but that will surely not be the case in free agency.

The deadline for teams to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents passed at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and only four teams made such a decision with the Atlanta Falcons keeping Kyle Pitts, the Dallas Cowboys keeping George Pickens, the New York Jets keeping Breece Hall and the Indianapolis Colts keeping Daniel Jones.

Next up on the NFL calendar is the free agency period.

While free agents cannot officially sign with teams until 4 p.m. ET on March 11, the legal contact period runs from noon ET on March 9 through 3:59:59 p.m. ET on March 11. Much of the negotiating will happen during that window as teams look to bolster their rosters to catch the reigning-champion Seattle Seahawks.

Yet some teams will be working with much more financial flexibility than others. With that in mind, here is a look at every team's updated salary cap space as of Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, per Over The Cap.

• Tennessee Titans: $93.8 million
• Las Vegas Raiders: $88.1 million
• Los Angeles Chargers: $84.5 million
• New York Jets: $74.3 million
• Washington Commanders: $70.3 million
• Seattle Seahawks: $58.1 million
• Cincinnati Bengals: $47.7 million
• Los Angeles Rams: $40.2 million
• Pittsburgh Steelers: $40.1 million
• New England Patriots: $39.3 million
• San Francisco 49ers: $37.8 million
• Arizona Cardinals: $30.7 million
• Denver Broncos: $25.2 million
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $20 million
• Baltimore Ravens: $18.6 million
• Philadelphia Eagles: $12.6 million
• Carolina Panthers: $9.3 million
• Atlanta Falcons: $8 million
• New York Giants: $1.8 million
• Miami Dolphins: -$0.5 million
• Indianapolis Colts: -$4.7 million
• Green Bay Packers: -$5.1 million
• Detroit Lions: -$6.5 million
• Kansas City Chiefs: -$6.6 million
• Chicago Bears: -$7.5 million
• Houston Texans: -$7.7 million
• Buffalo Bills: -$8.3 million
• New Orleans Saints: -$11.6 million
• Cleveland Browns: -$16.4 million
• Jacksonville Jaguars: -$16.9 million
• Minnesota Vikings: -$46.5 million
• Dallas Cowboys: -$56.6 million

It's safe to say that is not where the Cowboys want to be on this list.

After all, the NFC East team is coming off a 7-9-1 campaign that saw it miss the playoffs despite finishing second in the league in yardage and seventh in scoring. The offense was not the problem, and it will once again have Pickens after placing the tag on the talented wide receiver.

Still, the front office needs to make significant changes on the defensive side of the ball if the team is going to contend in 2026 and finally move past the Micah Parsons trade ahead of last season.

Notably, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday "the Cowboys are crafting a detailed free agency plan to bolster their defense" after team owner Jerry Jones told reporters, "I would bet that we will spend more money in free agency than we have."

▶️ Full Cowboys-Giants Recap

06:02

It should be noted the team can create more cap flexibility by restructuring the contracts of players such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Smith, but it has a lot of work to do to both dig out of its hole and add meaningful pieces to a defense that was last in the league in points allowed last season.

On the other side are teams such as the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders, which have the financial flexibility to make important additions around young quarterbacks.

The Titans have last year's No. 1 pick in Cam Ward under center, while the Raiders are widely expected to take Indiana's Fernando Mendoza with the top selection in this year's draft.

Perhaps both teams will look to add wide receivers in free agency so their respective quarterbacks have more established targets in 2026. Las Vegas didn't have a single receiver reach the 700-yard mark last year, while Tennessee didn't have a single one reach the 600-yard mark.

It is difficult for young quarterbacks to find success in the NFL without reliable pass-catching options, so these teams could be candidates to add one of the number of talented free agent receivers.

Alec Pierce, Wan'Dale Robinson, Mike Evans, Jauan Jennings, Rashid Shaheed and Deebo Samuel are all ranked in B/R's top 50 free agents this offseason, and any of them could help transform the aerial attacks in Las Vegas and Tennessee.

Other notable free agents to watch are pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, center Tyler Linderbaum and reigning Super Bowl MVP in running back Kenneth Walker.

There is no shortage of talent available on the market this offseason, which should make for an intriguing free agency period ahead of the NFL draft.