In the NFL, the competition is as fierce in the front office as it is on the gridiron itself. When players aren’t suiting up on game day, the suits are signing player salaries and balancing their payrolls ahead of the new season to optimize their chances of winning a Lombardi while staying in line with the NFL salary cap.
This offseason featured Pro Bowl trades and free agent signings that have recalibrated the league and now organizations must hope every dollar is money well spent. Let’s take a look at which NFL teams have the highest payrolls in 2026.
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Which NFL Teams Have the Highest Payroll in 2026?
Currently, the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns have the highest total salaries in 2026. Another year on the Dak contract and a full year of Quinnen Williams on the books has the Cowboys on top of the list of teams with cap space devoted to its starters, while the Browns remain under the weight of the Myles Garrett contract even after trading him and are second in the league in dead money allocations.
Cleveland and Dallas are followed closely by the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints to round out the top five this season.
Here’s where all 32 of the NFL’s teams stand by cap allocations on their top 51 players.
Source: Spotrac
Wondering who the highest paid NFL players are this year? Click below to find out.
Highest Paid NFL Players in 2025 | DIRECTV Insider
NFL Contract Key Terms
There are few terms worth defining to make sense of the finances in the NFL.
Cap Hit: The cap hit of player is their contract plus prorated signing bonuses and incentives.
Average annual value: The average annual value (AAV) is the player’s total contract salary divided by the number of years they’re signed for.
Fully guaranteed money: Fully guaranteed money is money that is not contingent on signing bonuses or able to be voided via release.
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Frequently asked questions
Which NFL team has the highest payroll in 2026?
Which NFL team has the lowest payroll in 2026?
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