Taking a look at the top 10 Cincinnati Bengals under contract in 2026, NFL salary cap projections and the team’s highest-paid players.
Ever since their Super Bowl appearance, the Cincinnati Bengals have disappointed and failed to improve their roster overall. The health of Joe Burrow has been a major hindrance, though roster-building strategies, as well as front office failures, have been at the forefront of the Bengals’ recent disappointment. How does their roster look heading into this offseason?
Below, we will take a look at the 10 best players that the Cincinnati Bengals still have under contract for next season. We will also look at NFL salary cap projections and the top cap hits on the team in 2026.
All Cincinnati Bengals salary cap data below is accurate as of February 18th, 2026.
10 Best Cincinnati Bengals Under Contract in 2026
These are the 10 best players the Cincinnati Bengals still have under contract for the 2026 season, in the order of their current salary cap hit. For those who know ball, you will recognize that these are the team’s 10 best players and not just the players that journalism nerds think they need to talk about.
- Joe Burrow, QB ($48M)
- Tee Higgins, WR ($26.5M)
- Ja’Marr Chase, WR ($26.2M)
- Orlando Brown Jr., OT ($22M)
- Dax Hill, CB ($12.7M)
- BJ Hill, DL ($12.1M)
- Evan McPherson, K ($5M)
- DJ Turner, CB ($4.1M)
- Myles Murphy, EDGE ($4M)
- Chase Brown, RB ($3.8M)
Highest Cincinnati Bengals Cap Hits in 2026
As things stand today, here is a list of the 10 highest player hits against the Cincinnati Bengals’ salary cap in 2026. Obviously, contracts can be manipulated, and a player could be cut or traded as well. In the case of a release, we have listed a player’s dead cap. This is how much money they would count against the cap if they are cut from the team.
- QB Joe Burrow, $48M ($56.3M dead cap)
- WR Tee Higgins, $26.5M ($21.3M)
- WR Ja’Marr Chase, $26.2M ($50.3M)
- OT Orlando Brown Jr., $22M ($7.8M)
- CB Dax Hill, $12.7M ($9.3M)
- DL BJ Hill, $12.1M ($7.3M)
- DL Tedarrell Slaton, $9.2M ($2.5M)
- TE Mike Gesicki, $7.7M ($4.3M)
- K Evan McPherson, $5M ($4.2M)
- C Ted Karras, $4.5M ($500K)
NFL Salary Cap Projections 2026
The league has informed teams that the 2026 NFL salary cap will be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team. Below, we will assume a salary cap of $303.45 million, using data from Spotrac.
| Rk | TM | Current Players | Cap Space | Dead Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | 53 | $99,041,638 | $535,657 |
| 2 | LV | 49 | $87,821,212 | $35,238,302 |
| 3 | LAC | 52 | $82,100,325 | $478,183 |
| 4 | NYJ | 51 | $78,990,889 | $88,996,619 |
| 5 | WAS | 52 | $66,506,531 | $12,592,731 |
| 6 | SEA | 57 | $63,421,971 | $483,724 |
| 7 | CIN | 60 | $52,745,496 | $11,248,222 |
| 8 | PIT | 60 | $44,768,173 | $7,934,338 |
| 9 | LAR | 54 | $40,994,285 | $6,469,150 |
| 10 | NE | 64 | $35,200,699 | $20,364,345 |
| 11 | IND | 60 | $34,952,488 | $2,093,644 |
| 12 | ARI | 61 | $34,823,790 | $3,934,104 |
| 13 | ATL | 51 | $26,181,296 | $2,235,354 |
| 14 | DEN | 54 | $26,033,090 | $1,218,922 |
| 15 | BAL | 48 | $22,673,001 | $12,262,715 |
| 16 | SF | 58 | $22,523,414 | $36,327,740 |
| 17 | TB | 52 | $14,479,885 | $253,922 |
| 18 | CAR | 56 | $11,687,593 | $9,341,094 |
| 19 | PHI | 65 | $9,814,036 | $40,359,938 |
| 20 | NYG | 58 | $7,030,099 | $216,988 |
| 21 | MIA | 52 | -$3,699,267 | $73,949,385 |
| 22 | GB | 66 | -$4,344,831 | $17,171,715 |
| 23 | HOU | 57 | -$5,387,142 | $20,922,780 |
| 24 | DET | 49 | -$9,151,960 | $9,287,290 |
| 25 | JAX | 62 | -$9,166,552 | $42,000,184 |
| 26 | BUF | 63 | -$10,522,073 | $432,166 |
| 27 | CHI | 54 | -$10,688,349 | $542,995 |
| 28 | KC | 54 | -$14,403,869 | $215,642 |
| 29 | CLE | 55 | -$19,541,898 | $39,763,849 |
| 30 | DAL | 54 | -$31,529,252 | $24,344,178 |
| 31 | MIN | 54 | -$40,632,414 | $5,608,074 |
| 32 | NO | 66 | -$41,774,364 | $90,590,412 |
