The current numbers on the Dolphins’ cap overhaul just keep getting wilder
Every new stat ends up wilder than the last.
The Miami Dolphins aren’t being shy about their current cap situation. As a matter of fact, the Dolphins have leaned all the way into the bit with their 2026 strategy.
Miami will, upon June 1st and the release of both Tua Tagovailoa and Bradley Chubb being reflected upon their cap books, have over 60% of a $300 million salary cap committed to players no longer on the roster (dead cap). That is, comfortably, an NFL record. That isn’t necessarily a surprise, as we explored this reality back in October. But the other side of the coin is almost more mind-numbing than the dead money.
Dolphins’ active cap spending currently sits at just $127 million in 2026
OverTheCap currently has the Dolphins’ active roster (aka not dead money) sitting at just $126.5 million for the 2026 season. That number will get a boost when Miami eventually signs their 2026 rookie draft class — with all eleven draft picks in tow. But let’s put $126.5 million in active cap spending into perspective.
29 of the NFL’s 32 teams currently have an active cap number of at least $212 million. 22 teams are north of $250 million.
The Dolphins’ current cap commitments are less than half of the 21st ranked team in the league and they’re nearly $50 million behind the 31st ranked team in the league, the New York Jets. So when you consider how poor Miami’s cap situation looked just a few months ago, understand that they’ll operate this year on a budget. But they’ll subsequently see the dividends returned back into their pockets by 2027, where Miami currently ranks with the third highest projected cap space among NFL teams despite having over $56 million in dead cap charges already on their books courtesy of Tagovailoa and Chubb. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Miami Dolphins News
At least one franchise appears to be eyeing another one of the Dolphins’ best players
LB Jordyn Brooks is one of Miami’s best players — but no one is safe from the trade rumors these days.
