How much salary cap space do Colts need to sign 2026 draft class?

The draft picks have been made, but now the Indianapolis Colts have to sign their eight selections to their rookie deals. So, how much salary cap space will that require? Colts ' 2026 NFL draft class Pick 53: LB CJ Allen Pick 78: S AJ Haulcy Pick 113: OL Jalen Farmer Pick 135: LB Bryce Boettcher Pick 156: DE George Gumbs Pick 214: DE Caden Curry Pick 237: RB Seth McGowan Pick 254: WR Deion Burks Salary cap space required by Colts to sign 2026 draft class According to Over the Cap , the Colts need $9.

027 million in available cap space to sign this year's class. There is a wrinkle to this, however. Although that is how much the Colts' rookie class will count towards this year's cap, Indianapolis' available cap space figure won't drop by $9-plus million once these deals are done.

When it comes to calculating offseason cap space, only the top 52 contracts, in terms of value, count towards that figure. So, in the cap space calculation, each of these rookie contracts will replace a player who is likely on a minimum deal for the 2026 season -- around $885,000. The incoming cap hits will be more than those minimum contracts, but it's not as if the entire amount is completely unaccounted for at the moment -- salary-cap-wise -- because there are players already occupying the top 52 spots in the cap calculation.

As OTC notes, this is known as effective cap space -- what is actually available to spend. Although $9. 02 million may be needed to sign this year's draft class, the effective cap space -- or difference that will show up in the cap space calculation -- is around just $1.