NFL Free Agency 2026 Teams with Most Salary Cap Space Ahead of Friday's Signings

NFL free agency continues to roll on, and while are much quieter than they were early in the week, several notable free agents remain available.

Of course, the list of teams that can afford to spend big is much shorter than it was early in the week. That's simply how it goes when teams spend more than $2 billion dollars in the first eight hours of free agency alone.

We did see a few important signings on Thursday, and grades for all of the day's major deals can be found here. However, free agency is now firmly in its second wave, where many teams bargain-shop and many lingering free agents weigh their options carefully.

Here, you'll find a look at the league's salary-cap landscape, the teams that can still be big spenders, and a quick recap of Thursday's activity.

Updated Salary Cap Outlook

AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File

Washington Commanders $62.2 million

Baltimore Ravens $58.6 million

Los Angeles Chargers $58.1 million

Indianapolis Colts $51.1 million

New England Patriots $46.5 million

Tennessee Titans $46.1 million

Las Vegas Raiders $45.1 million

Seattle Seahawks $42.7 million

Detroit Lions $42 million

Arizona Cardinals $38.4 million

New York Jets $37.7 million

Carolina Panthers $28 million

Green Bay Packers $26 million

Los Angeles Rams $22.1 million

Kansas City Chiefs $19.6 million

Houston Texans $18.3 million

Pittsburgh Steelers $17.7 million

Atlanta Falcons $17.7 million

New Orleans Saints $15.7 million

Philadelphia Eagles $14.3 million

Minnesota Vikings $14 million

New York Giants $13.9 million

Denver Broncos $11.8 million

Chicago Bears $2.4 million

San Francisco 49ers $2.2 million

Miami Dolphins $2 million

Cincinnati Bengals $1.6 million

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -$564,115

Jacksonville Jaguars -$1.3 million

Buffalo Bills -$6.5 million

Cleveland Browns -$9.7 million

Dallas Cowboys -$10.1 million

*Effective cap space from Spotrac.

Thursday Recap

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

QB Kyler Murray

Many of the big names came off the board during the legal-contact window, but we saw some notable players sign on Thursday.

Perhaps the biggest deal of the day was Kyler Murray's one-year agreement with the Minnesota Vikings. It'll be a one-year deal at the league minimum, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, which isn't surprising.

The Arizona Cardinals released Murray, but owe him $36.8 million in guaranteed money for this season. The two-time Pro Bowler will presumably now compete with J.J. McCarthy for Minnesota's starting job.

The Cincinnati Bengals continued with their defensive overhaul by signing defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. The 31-year-old spent last season with the Minnesota Vikings and recorded 68 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 17 starts. He's joining Cincinnati on a two-year, $28 million deal, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added edge-rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad on a one-year deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, while the Tennessee Titans added edge-rusher Jacob Martin on a two-year, $11 million contract, according to the Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala.

The Washington Commanders, who have been hovering at the top of the salary-cap rankings, continued to be active on Thursday. They picked up former Buccaneers starting running back Rachaad White, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. They also re-signed veteran offensive lineman Trent Scott with a one-year deal, according to ESPN's John Keim.

The Las Vegas Raiders opened the week with the most available cap space, but that changed when the Baltimore Ravens rescinded the trade for edge-rusher Maxx Crosby. On Thursday, we learned that Crosby is happy to be back with Las Vegas and that he's likely to stay there for the foreseeable future.

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported that the Raiders are telling teams that Crosby is no longer available in a trade.

Teams With the Most Cap Space

AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File

Trey Hendrickson

The Commanders may not stay at the top of the league much longer if they continue to spend big. In addition to White, they've signed the likes of tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, edge-rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenel, safety Nick Cross, edge-rusher Odafe Oweh, and defensive lineman Charles Omenihu.

It would, however, be a surprised if Washington is finished with free agency.

The cancellation of the Crosby trade vaulted Baltimore back toward the top, though the Ravens did sign pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million contract.

Baltimore has been relatively quiet otherwise, though it did re-sign Chidobe Awuzie and add guard John Simpson.

The Los Angeles Chargers were very active early, scooping up center Tyler Biadasz, adding tight end Charlie Kolar, and re-signing edge-rusher Khalil Mack. They've been more budget-conscious later in the week, though they did add running back Keaton Mitchell on Thursday.

The Indianapolis Colts locked up quarterback Daniel Jones on a two-year deal and re-signed wideout Alec Pierce on a four-year agreement. They've added Arden Key and Michael Clemons but may be more active in the second wave of free agency.

The New England Patriots haven't made a high volume of moves but have brought in notable players like Alijah Vera-Tucker, Kevin Byard III, Romeo Doubs, and Dre'Mont Jones. The Patriots may also be aggressive in the second wave as they look to rebound from their loss in Super Bowl LX.

The Raiders and Titans topped the NFL in cap space heading into the week, but both spent significantly in the first wave.

In addition to taking back Crosby, the Raiders have added legitimate difference-makers like Tyler Linderbaum, Nakobe Dean, and Quay Walker. Tennessee has signed Wan'Dale Robinson, Jermaine Johnson II, John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor, and others.

Tennessee and Las Vegas were two of the worst teams in the NFL last season. On paper, at least, each has improved over the past week.