Every year, the NFL salary cap grows as the league makes more money from its expanding global footprint. Last year, it jumped by a record amount. And while it has not repeated that mark in 2026, it has made another massive leap.
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In 2025, the cap sat at $279.2 million. This year, it is estimated to expand to between $301.2 million and $305.7 million. That represents a hike of at least $22 million, nearly 10 percent.
That increase will be a boon for every team in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers, in particular, appear well-positioned thanks to the bump, which leaves them with just under $45 million in cap space heading into the new league year, ninth most in the NFL. Naturally, Pittsburgh reporter Trey Carney was impressed with the situation.
“The #Steelers would be working with almost $50M in cap space without making any roster moves with the bump in the salary cap,” Carney tweeted. “Love it. Obviously, the front office is going to open up more of the cap with roster cuts & restructuring, but a great starting point for Pittsburgh going into the McCarthy era.”
If Pittsburgh does want to go that way and continue creating space through cuts and restructures, the club has a few avenues it can take.
Looking at Pittsburgh’s cap table, they are very top-heavy. And most of the guys they’re paying a lot are getting up there in age. After his down year, 32-year-old T.J. Watt could certainly be open to a restructure that would reduce his whopping $42 million cap hit. Cam Heyward, now 37 but coming off another All-Pro year, could also restructure his deal, which counts for over $19 million against the cap.
There’s lots of room to maneuver at tight end as well. Pat Freiermuth was not used nearly enough to warrant his $11 million cap hit, and we’d expect a restructure for him. If not, he could be a cut candidate. Freiermuth’s even more beleaguered TE colleague Jonnu Smith is likely to be cut, which will save the team $7 million against the cap.
Moreover, cutting lightly used LB Malik Harrison and backup QB Mason Rudolph would save the team another $8 million or so. That would mean they would have $60 million in cap space even without doing any of the suggested restructures mentioned above.
That’s why the Steelers are a prime candidate to make some moves this offseason and acquire some top talent through free agency or trades. General manager Omar Khan has already consistently shown a willingness to break with the club’s tradition in those respects during his five years on the job.
And we say trades because not only do the Steelers have a lot of cap space to acquire a big name. They also have a ton of picks in the 2026 Draft to entice possible trade partners. Twelve to be exact. That includes seven in the first four rounds.
Khan has a stocked cupboard, and he’s likely to make use of it one way or another.
