Raiders will have more cap space than expected this offseason

The Las Vegas Raiders will have even more money to spend than they expected this offseason.

So will every other team in the NFL.

Organizations have been informed by the NFL that the projection for the 2026 salary cap falls between $301.2 million and $305.7 million.

That will represent an increase of more than $20 million from the 2025 cap of $279.2 million.

The Raiders were already in a good position without the hefty bump.

While the results have not been great on the field the past couple of seasons, the organization has done a good job of getting its cap situation in order.

Spotrac now projects the Raiders to have about $87 million in cap space entering the offseason, second in the league.

That’s before a decision is made on quarterback Geno Smith, who is unlikely to return and would represent a savings of about $8 million. The team would, however, take on an additional dead cap hit of just more than $18 million by making such a move.

There are other cap-related maneuvers that could increase their flexibility, but the Raiders are likely to be in the top three in terms of money to spend.

They have the No. 1 pick and are likely to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, giving them cost certainty at the most important and expensive position.

Mendoza’s contract likely slots in at four years for $54.9 million with a club option for a fifth year.

That means plenty of money to go around to fill in several major holes on the roster, including wide receiver, the offensive line and all three levels on defense.

The increased cap continues a trend that has seen the upper limit of NFL payrolls exploding over the past few seasons.

This year’s total will mark a nearly $100 million increase from the 2022 season when the cap was set at $208.2 million.

The trend shows no signs of slowing with revenues soaring throughout the league.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.