The Kansas City Chiefs just caught a major break, but so did the rest of the NFL, as insiders around the league announced news that the projected salary cap space number is expected to rise significantly ahead of free agency.
“The NFL informed clubs today [on January 30] it is projecting a 2026 salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club, per source,” NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported on X.
Pelissero added that this “would represent another significant jump from this year’s $279.2 million cap number, and nearly $100M than the $208.2M cap in 2022.”
Needless to say, a greater cap number impacts the entire league, including the players, but it helps the Chiefs more than every other franchise in the NFL, and there’s a simple reason why.
Rising NFL Salary Cap Number Helps Last-Ranked Chiefs Out of Cap Space Jam Before Free Agency
As of January 30, the Chiefs rank dead last in cap space at approximately negative $62.576 million over a projected cap number of $295.5 million, per Over the Cap. The next closest team is the Minnesota Vikings (approximately -$48.943 million), who coincidentally just fired their general manager on January 30.
In case you’re unfamiliar with how NFL cap space works, that means the Chiefs would have been required to clear over $62 million in salary before the start of the new league year in March.
However, based on this new update, it sounds like another $6 to $10 million will be added on top of Over the Cap’s projected cap number of $295.5 million. That should at least bring the Chiefs’ deficit to around negative $55 million, maybe less.
Granted, that still sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but there are moves to be made.
According to Over the Cap, Kansas City has the lowest current “dead money” figure in the NFL, at just $215,641. Dead money is cap space that cannot be cleared, and the more you have, the worse shape you’re in.
By design, the Chiefs have very little dead money on the books in 2026. Obviously, that will change as general manager Brett Veach figures out creative ways to shave down the KC cap number, but starting with a low dead money number gives the front office more room to operate.
As does an NFL salary cap of over $300 million.
Chiefs’ Long-Term Contracts Become More Affordable After NFL News
There is another positive of a higher cap number for KC. Veach has orchestrated several long-term contracts with star players, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 10-year, $450 million deal and defensive lineman Chris Jones’ five-year, $158.75 million deal, among others.
Both were considered large contracts when they were first signed, but as the cap number grows and grows, they become steals.
Mahomes’ average yearly salary is now tied for 14th in the NFL for quarterbacks. And when you consider that he’s tied with a backup quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and ranked behind players like Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray, and Deshaun Watson, it almost doesn’t feel fair.
The Chiefs may have to correct Mahomes’ salary at some point, but the two-time NFL MVP hasn’t been pushy about it, taking the Tom Brady approach to wealth and team-building.
Either way, this salary cap news lessens the significance of any and all prior contracts that NFL franchises have agreed to. That could mean fewer cap casualties around the league as free agency prices surge to sky-high rates.
