On Friday, the NFL’s 2026 salary cap was revealed.
According to Brian McCarthy, the salary cap is $301.2 million, a $22 million jump from 2025’s $279.2 million.
Where does this leave the New York Jets?
Well, according to Spotrac, the Jets are now projected to have $77 million in cap space under the official salary cap. This places them fourth in the NFL, trailing the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Projected 2026 NFL cap space, per Spotrac (as of Feb. 27, 2026, following official salary cap announcement):
Tennessee Titans ($92.6M)
Las Vegas Raiders ($87.9M)
Los Angeles Chargers ($87.1M)
New York Jets ($77.0M)
Washington Commanders ($69.8M)
Seattle Seahawks ($63.2M)
Cincinnati Bengals ($52.3M)
Pittsburgh Steelers ($44.8M)
Los Angeles Rams ($44.4M)
New England Patriots ($37.4M)
The Jets still have a few options to add cap space.
For one, they can release quarterback Justin Fields with a post-June 1 designation, which would clear $10 million in cap space. However, it would push $9 million in dead money to the 2027 season.
New York can also release veteran defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to clear $7.5 million in cap space while taking on zero dead money. If they want to keep Phillips, the Jets could at least try to convince Phillips to take a pay cut, given that they have the leverage to release him and clear his entire salary off the books.
It is also worth noting, however, that the Jets’ cap space is likely to absorb a pre-free agency hit from the tagging of running back Breece Hall.
Alongside Friday’s salary cap announcement, the NFL also announced the official costs for franchise and transition tags at each position. The franchise tag for running backs will cost $14.3 million, while the transition tag will cost $11.3 million. Either one would eat up at least one-eighth of the Jets’ $77 million in cap space.
With the franchise and transition tag deadline set for 4 p.m. EST on March 4, the Jets’ cap space could look slimmer by the time the legal tampering window opens at noon on March 9. New York general manager Darren Mougey alluded that the team will likely tag Hall if it does not sign him to a long-term deal.
Still, even if the Jets place the franchise tag on Hall and make no other changes, their $62.7 million in cap space would rank sixth-highest in the NFL.
It’s a nice position for New York to be in, but $62.7 million dries up fast when you have as many holes to fill as the Jets do. For that reason, the Jets will have to be economical on the free agent market in 2026.