With training camp a couple of weeks away and the NFL within the midst of a rare quiet period, that is time to look at each team\u2019s largest 2026 cap hit. This exercise will take a take a look at players who’re still on their teams\u2019 rosters. That disqualifies massive dead money hits for the likes of Kyler Murray<\/strong> (Cardinals) and Derek Carr<\/strong> (Saints) from this edition, which can give attention to the NFC.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Matthew Stafford,<\/strong> QB, Rams<\/strong> ($48.27MM)<\/p>\n One in every of the league\u2019s most efficient quarterbacks throughout his 17-year profession, Stafford finally won his first MVP last season. During his first 17-start season since 2021, Stafford guided the Rams to a 12-5 record while leading the league in yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46, against eight interceptions). He was also among the many elite in passer rating (second; 109.2) and QBR (fourth; 71.2).<\/p>\n Within the playoffs, despite Stafford\u2019s 374-yard, three-TD effort within the conference title game, the Rams dropped a 31-27 nail-biter to the division rival Seahawks. Stafford briefly contemplated retirement afterward, however the 38-year-old is now under contract through 2027 after inking an extension in May.<\/p>\n Seeking to reap the benefits of Stafford\u2019s remaining years as a top-level QB, the Rams added reigning Defensive Player of the 12 months Myles Garrett<\/strong> and ex-Chiefs starting cornerbacks Trent McDuffie<\/strong> and Jaylen Watson<\/strong> to an already loaded roster over the past few months. Additionally they turned heads in using the thirteenth overall pick within the draft on a quarterback, Ty Simpson,<\/strong> but he is clearly not a threat to Stafford within the near term.<\/p>\n Dak Prescott<\/strong>, QB, Cowboys<\/strong> ($43.51MM)<\/p>\n Prescott was not at his best in 2024, an eight-start season that led to November with a serious hamstring injury, but he returned to Pro Bowl form last 12 months. Thanks partly to the acquisition of wide receiver George Pickens<\/strong>, Prescott led the league with 404 completions, threw for 4,552 yards and tossed 30 touchdowns (against 10 interceptions). Prescott put up a 99.5 passer rating, the Tenth-best mark within the league, and ranked a good higher fifth in QBR (70.2).<\/p>\n The Cowboys went a lackluster 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for the second straight 12 months, but Prescott and the offense did their part. A bottom-dwelling defense torpedoed the Cowboys\u2019 possibilities of contending. Their prolific offense stays intact. If Dallas\u2019 defensive additions pay dividends, Prescott & Co. could return to the playoffs in his age-32 season.<\/p>\n Baker Mayfield<\/strong>, QB, Buccaneers ($39.98MM)<\/p>\n Mayfield remained an above-average starter in 2025, his third 12 months with the Buccaneers, but most of his numbers declined in comparison with the previous season. Neither the 31-year-old nor the offense as an entire functioned as well under coordinator Josh Grizzard<\/strong> as they did in 2024 under\u00a0Liam Coen<\/strong>. In fairness to Mayfield and Grizzard, a rash of injuries along the offensive line and on the skill positions didn\u2019t help matters. Those issues contributed to an 8-9 finish for Tampa Bay, which missed the playoffs for the primary time since 2019.<\/p>\n The Buccaneers reacted by firing Grizzard and hiring Zac Robinson,<\/strong> who can be Mayfield\u2019s fourth different OC in as many seasons with the club. Franchise institution\/potential Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans<\/strong> can be gone (to the 49ers).<\/p>\n Mayfield could follow Evans out the door in a 12 months if he and the Bucs don\u2019t hammer out a contract extension by next March. It has been a month since Mayfield told the media the edges had not made progress toward an agreement. Nevertheless, there’s mutual interest in getting something done before the Bucs open camp in late July, Mayfield\u2019s self-imposed deadline. Unless he adjusts the deadline, the team has just a little over three weeks to lock up its two-time Pro Bowl passer.<\/p>\n Sam Darnold<\/strong>, QB, Seahawks<\/strong> ($37.9MM)<\/p>\n The Vikings erred in allowing Darnold to depart for Seattle in 2025, when he scored a three-year, $100MM contract in free agency. All Darnold did in the primary season of the contract was help the Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship. Darnold posted a 14-3 record for the second straight regular season, by which he accomplished a career-high 67.7% of attempts, went over the 4,000-yard mark and fired 25 touchdown passes. While he threw 14 INTs within the regular season, he didn\u2019t add to the overall in three playoff games, including a Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots.<\/p>\n Darnold was at his best within the aforementioned NFC title game win over the Rams, whom he torched for 346 yards and three TDs. While the Rams at the moment are the betting favorites to win all of it this season, Darnold and the reigning champion Seahawks shouldn\u2019t be discounted.<\/p>\n Jared Goff<\/strong>, QB, Lions<\/strong> ($37.6MM)<\/p>\n The Lions\u2019 win total plummeted from 15 in 2024 to nine last 12 months. The six-victory decline led to the Lions missing the playoffs for the primary time since 2022, but Goff remained among the many game\u2019s most prolific signal-callers. He threw for 4,564 yards and 34 touchdowns, trailing only Stafford (whom he was traded for in 2021) in those categories. Goff also tossed just eight interceptions on 578 attempts and ranked near the highest of the league in passer rating (second; 105.5), completion percentage (fifth; 68%), and yards per attempt (sixth; 7.9).<\/p>\n Notably, this can be the third 12 months in a row by which Goff will pair with a distinct play caller. After Ben Johnson<\/strong> left to change into the Bears\u2019 head coach in 2025, the Lions hired John Morton<\/strong>. The choice didn\u2019t go in keeping with plan, as head coach Dan Campbell<\/strong> took Morton\u2019s play-calling duties away throughout the season after which fired him when it ended. Campbell replaced Morton with Drew Petzing<\/strong>, previously the Cardinals\u2019 OC. Petzing walked into an enviable situation with Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs<\/strong>, wide receivers\u00a0Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/strong> and Jameson Williams<\/strong>, and tight end Sam LaPorta<\/strong> as weapons.<\/p>\n Jalen Hurts<\/strong>, QB, Eagles<\/strong> ($31.97MM)<\/p>\n Hurts took home Super Bowl LIX honors after the Eagles thrashed the Chiefs in February 2025, however the honeymoon didn\u2019t last long. While the Eagles won 11 games and a second consecutive NFC East title, their offense markedly declined under recent coordinator Kevin Patullo<\/strong>. With 33 total touchdowns, six interceptions and a 98.5 passer rating, Hurts put up nice numbers en path to a 3rd Pro Bowl nod. But because the leader of the league\u2019s Twenty third-ranked passing offense, he was a source of frustration each within the constructing and among the many team\u2019s fans.<\/p>\n Worsening matters, the Eagles\u2019 offense showed little life in a 23-19 loss to the 49ers within the wild-card round. That proved to be the last game as an Eagle for star receiver A.J. Brown<\/strong>, who voiced his dissatisfaction with the offense multiple times all year long. After a long-awaited trade with the Patriots got here together on June 1, Brown revealed that he and Hurts drifted apart throughout the season.<\/p>\n Patullo and Brown are out of the organization, meaning Hurts will go into 2026 with one other recent OC in\u00a0Sean Mannion<\/strong> and a couple of recent pass catchers (first-rounder Makai Lemon<\/strong>, second-rounder Eli Stowers<\/strong>, Dontayvion Wicks<\/strong><\/a> and Marquise Brown<\/strong>) to enhance holdovers DeVonta Smith<\/strong> and Dallas Goedert<\/strong>. This can be a vital season for Hurts, whose five-year, $255MM contract is as a result of expire after 2027. The Eagles could open talks on an extension next offseason if Hurts performs to their liking in his age-28 campaign.<\/p>\n Jordan Love<\/strong>, QB, Packers<\/strong> ($31.6MM)<\/p>\n It became more obvious last season that the Packers found their third straight franchise QB in Love, who has been as much as the mountainous task of following Brett Favre<\/strong> (1992-2007) and Aaron Rodgers<\/strong> (2008-22). Over 15 regular-season starts, Love threw 23 touchdowns against a meager six interceptions. He was also comfortably within the league\u2019s top 10 in QBR (third; 72.7) passer rating (sixth; 101.2) and yards per attempt (eighth; 7.7).<\/p>\n Despite the positives Love showed in his third 12 months as a starter, Green Bay\u2019s season led to bitter fashion. Not only did the Packers drop their last 4 regular-season games to complete 9-7-1, but they blew a 21-3 halftime lead in a 31-27 wild-card round loss to the archrival Bears. The defeat got here despite Love\u2019s 323-yard, four-TD showing.<\/p>\n Daron Payne<\/strong>, DT, Commanders<\/strong> ($27.95MM)<\/p>\n The 6-foot-3, 320-pound Payne has been a full-time starter in seven of eight seasons because the Commanders drafted him thirteenth overall in 2018. Payne racked up a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2022, his lone Pro Bowl season, and the Commanders kept him around with a four-year, $90MM offer a couple of months later. Payne is now entering the last 12 months of the pact, however the Commanders don’t plan to pursue a brand new deal until 2027 (if in any respect). Over 15 starts in 2025, Payne notched 46 tackles, eight QB hits, seven TFL, five pass deflections and three sacks. The 29-year-old got here in fifth in run stop win rate, however the defense still surrendered the third-most rushing yards within the league.<\/p>\n Chris Lindstrom<\/strong>, RG, Falcons<\/strong> ($26.25MM)<\/p>\n The durable and dependable Lindstrom has began in all 105 appearances because the Falcons made him the 14th pick within the 2019 draft. In 2023, with Lindstrom then coming off his first Pro Bowl\/second-team All-Pro season, former Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot<\/strong> gave him a five-year, $105MM extension. Money well spent, as Lindstrom has since put up three more Pro Bowl\/second-team All-Pro campaigns. The 6-4, 310-pounder made his second straight 17-start season in 2025 and finished as Pro Football Focus\u2019<\/a> second-ranked guard.<\/p>\n Montez Sweat<\/strong>, DE, Bears ($25.09MM)<\/p>\n The Bears won the NFC North last season despite a below-average pass rush that finished twenty sixth in sacks and thirty first in win rate. You possibly can\u2019t blame the Bears\u2019 ineffective rush on Sweat, who easily led the team in pressures (54), QB hits (18) and sacks (10) over a full 17-game schedule. The Bears, who haven’t made any noteworthy pass-rushing additions because the Rams eliminated them within the divisional round, will count on similar production from Montez in 2026. It’s going to be his age-30 campaign and the second-last season of a four-year, $98MM contract.<\/p>\n Robert Hunt<\/strong>, RG, Panthers<\/strong> ($24.3MM)<\/p>\n Hunt made the Pro Bowl in 2024, the start of a five-year, $100MM contract, but an MCL injury worn out most of his 2025 campaign. He went down in Week 2, landed on IR, and didn’t return until the postseason. Hunt ended up playing 76% of the Panthers\u2019 offensive snaps in a loss to the Rams within the wild-card round. Now heading into his age-30 season, a healthy Hunt will proceed because the Panthers\u2019 No. 1 right guard.<\/p>\n Paulson Adebo<\/strong>, CB, Giants<\/strong> ($24.2MM)<\/p>\n Adebo missed 10 games with a broken femur in 2024, his fourth and final season with the Saints, but that didn\u2019t stop the Giants from giving him a three-year, $54MM deal in free agency. The primary season of the contract didn\u2019t go great for Adebo, who sat out five games with a knee injury. Across 12 starts, Adebo tallied 73 tackles, eight passes defensed and an interception. On 80 targets, he yielded a 98.2 passer rating (up from 70.8 the previous 12 months). PFF ranked Adebo a below-average 72nd amongst 108 qualifiers at his position, though he stays atop the Giants\u2019 depth chart going into 12 months 2 of his contract. Either Greg Newsome<\/strong>, Deonte Banks<\/strong> or Colton Hood<\/strong> will start on the opposite side.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.profootballrumors.com\/files\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27769144-scaled.jpg\")
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