Cardinals 2026 Cap Tracker: How Much Room for Free Agency?

The Arizona Cardinals are hoping to make massive strides in the first year of head coach Mike LaFleur's tenure, and in order to do so a successful free agent period is necessary.

General manager Monti Ossenfort's fourth offseason in charge will be his most crucial in the desert.

Arizona's got the cap space to make some magic happen as free agency rolls around, unofficially on March 9 with the first league day arriving on March 11.

Keep in mind this is not counting Kyler Murray's release as we don't know if it's a pre or post-June 1 cut. Also, these figures are sure to change as time marches forward.

With that said, here's where the Cardinals' cap space currently sits:

March 7

Total cap space: $48.0 million
Effective cap space: $36.5 million
Players under contract: 57
Dead money: $21.2 million

Effective cap space is essentially the actual total a team can spend with their projected cap for signing draft picks removed from the figure. Only the top 51 salaries count towards the cap in the offseason.

Dead money is cap space allocated to players not on the roster anymore. This number will jump significantly when Murray's release is officially processed.

Prior Cardinals Salary Cap Cuts

The Cardinals have cut three players off their roster entering March 7 in LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, DL Bilal Nichols and DL Dalvin Tomlinson.

In total, the Cardinals have added just over $20 million in cap space with those moves:

Bilal Nichols: $5.8 million
Akeem Davis-Gaither: $5.1 million
Dalvin Tomlinson: $9.4 million

Other Potential Cardinals Cap Cuts Entering Free Agency

The Cardinals can still make a handful of other moves to increase their salary cap figure even more, as the following five players could also potentially depart Arizona to add even more spending power:

Baron Browning ($4.6 million)
Sean Murphy-Bunting ($7.2 million)
Evan Brown ($4.9 million)
James Conner ($7.5 million)
Zaven Collins ($4.3 million)

Potential Cardinals Trade Candidates

The Cardinals don't exactly have a plethora of trade candidates, though the biggest could be quarterback Jacoby Brissett, depending on what could transpire in free agency at the position.

Other than Brissett, there's been very little noise as far as trade discussions go with players currently on the roster now than Murray is being released.

Positions Cardinals Might Prioritize in Free Agency

The offensive line is expected to get a major upgrade this offseason, as spots such as left and right guard on top of right tackle could potentially see bodies added in free agency.

You can say the same for the defensive line and edge rusher, especially with the release of Tomlinson and Nichols in the interior. While outside linebacker Josh Sweat had a career year in terms of sacks, Arizona needs to pair him with a suitable running mate.

Inside linebacker may see a boost with Davis-Gaither departing, at least in terms of depth. The Cardinals could roll with Cody Simon and Mack Wilson as their starting duo in 2026, though running mates behind them are still needed.

The same could be said at safety, where starter Jalen Thompson is departing while Dadrion Taylor-Demerson looks poised to slot alongside Budda Baker. Kitan Crawford did impress in his rookie season, so we'll see if Arizona feels the same.

And, of course, quarterback is a position to watch. Malik Willis has plenty of heat surrounding his name to Arizona while Jimmy Garoppolo also appears to be a potential option.