NFL Teams' Updated Salary Cap for 2026 Ahead of Preseason Action

The 2026 NFL Preseason kicks off Thursday night with the Hall of Fame game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers.

Ahead of the start of the exhibition games, find out the current salary cap situations for all 32 teams and what it means for one, in particular, if a future Hall of Famer comes out of retirement for a shot at a second Lombardi Trophy, in this preview.

Current Top 51 Cap Space

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San Francisco 49ers ($80,363,266)

Tennessee Titans ($53,366,045)

Washington Commanders ($44,200,741)

Los Angeles Chargers ($41,199,649)

Atlanta Falcons ($38,968,248)

Denver Broncos ($37,693,906)

New England Patriots ($37,170,837)

Arizona Cardinals ($33,670,522)

Indianapolis Colts ($32,195,841)

Cleveland Browns ($31,974,471)

Green Bay Packers ($28,446,123)

New York Jets ($28,229,477)

Houston Texans ($28,053,485)

Seattle Seahawks ($25,718,055)

Minnesota Vikings ($21,925,422)

Philadelphia Eagles ($21,130,567)

Cincinnati Bengals ($16,971,012)

Los Angeles Rams ($16,804,108)

Baltimore Ravens ($16,758,285)

Miami Dolphins ($16,518,147)

Detroit Lions ($15,353,206)

Las Vegas Raiders ($14,507,261)

New York Giants ($10,415,220)

Carolina Panthers ($10,337,202)

Buffalo Bills ($10,337,202)

Chicago Bears ($8,856,620)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($8,501,627)

Jacksonville Jaguars ($8,487,992)

New Orleans Saints ($7,099,812)

Pittsburgh Steelers ($5,778,539)

Dallas Cowboys ($5,114,992)

Kansas City Chiefs ($4,551,647)

Top 51 cap space information refers to the amount that a team's top 51 players count toward the salary cap. Cap numbers via Spotrac.

What Would Aaron Donald's Return Look Like for the Rams' Cap Space?

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The biggest question surrounding the NFL ahead of the start of the preseason is whether Aaron Donald will come out of retirement, rejoin the Los Angeles Rams, and team with Myles Garrett to make what would, at least on paper, be one of the most dominant defensive lines ever.

Such a move would not be without salary cap consequences, though.

Donald retired with one year remaining on a $95 million contract, meaning if the eight-time first-team All-Pro does return to the team this year, the Rams would owe him $31,666,667, per Spotrac.

Except the Rams do not have that kind of salary cap space remaining.

The team would have to get creative with its current situation, whether that means cutting or trading players, convincing the team's highest-paid stars to renegotiate their deals, or renegotiating Donald's contract.

The third option would be the easiest for the organization. One would assume that Donald would be willing to work with the organization to accomplish it, as he would not be returning to the game if he did not have the itch to play alongside Garrett on what could be a historically great team.

Regardless of how, it is the biggest hurdle to overcome if and when Donald decides he does want to put on the pads and get back to work.