Atlanta Falcons Salary Cap Situation

Top 51: $291 million

Cap Space: $10 million

The Falcons had about $22 million in cap space a couple of weeks ago, but that changed after a few significant moves. Most notably, the team placed the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts, which will pay him just over $15 million for the 2026 season if he does not sign an extension. The team also released veteran special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge, which saved about $2.6 million against the cap.

That doesn’t leave the Falcons with a lot of money to work with this offseason, but they can create additional space through a few cuts and restructures.

Notable Cut Candidates

• Kirk Cousins
• Darnell Mooney

New Falcons GM Ian Cunningham has already said the Falcons will release Kirk Cousins on the first day of the new league year. That will presumably be a post–June 1 cut, which will save the team about $2 million. However, Cousins’ contract contains offset language tied to the $10 million roster bonus guarantee he received for 2026. Because the Falcons do not plan to re-sign him, they could clear up to $10 million in cap space depending on what Cousins signs for elsewhere this offseason.

Outside of Cousins, Darnell Mooney is the only obvious cut candidate who would save the Falcons a significant amount of money. He’s set to count for over $18 million against the cap in 2026, and Atlanta can save close to $12 million by designating him as a post–June 1 cut.

Total Potential Salary Cap Savings: $24 million

Restructure Candidates

• A.J. Terrell ($10.3 million)
• Jake Matthews ($9.8 million)
• Chris Lindstrom ($11 million)
• Jessie Bates III ($9.5 million)

Restructuring contracts is essentially kicking the financial can down the road, and teams generally only want to restructure the deals of players they plan on keeping around for the foreseeable future. Chris Lindstrom and A.J. Terrell fit that mold best, so the Falcons would probably be willing to agree to max restructures on both of their contracts.

Jake Matthews and Jessie Bates III fall into a different category. Matthews has been a stalwart at left tackle for over a decade and is under contract for two more seasons, but he’ll be 35 years old in 2027, so there might be some hesitancy to guaranteeing him more money in the future.

Bates’ contract is up at the end of the season, so while a restructure is a possibility, the Falcons would probably prefer to work out some sort of extension if they want to keep him in Atlanta beyond this year.

Total Potential Cap Savings: $40.6 million

With a few simple transactions, the Falcons can go from roughly $10 million in cap space to north of $50 million in the blink of an eye. There are also smaller cuts and restructures that are possible, and extensions can help alleviate cap concerns in the short term if they want to be more aggressive in free agency this offseason. The means are there for them to push hard and build a playoff-caliber roster for the 2026 season if they so choose.