2026 Positional Spending Rankings: Linebackers

By
Logan Ulrich
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To help pass the time from now until the start of training camp, we’ll be looking at where every team ranks in positional spending. Our last single position group is linebackers. A great linebacker can still have an exponential impact on the success of a defense, but there are fewer great linebackers than ever. The modern NFL is a demanding place for linebackers and college football prepares them less than it used to, leading to a longer learning curve in the league. 

Patrick Queen

One note: rather than count dead money toward the positional groups, we will have it ranked separately in a post of its own. For example, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa‘s $55.4 million dead cap hit won’t count toward Miami’s quarterback spending, but it will be included in their league-leading $179 million dead cap figure. 

Here’s how the league’s linebacker rooms shake out from most expensive to least expensive: 

Resources:

1 – Baltimore Ravens: $40,647,777

2 – Pittsburgh Steelers: $36,043,767

3 – Kansas City Chiefs: $30,766,746

4 – San Francisco 49ers: $29,205,048

5 – Chicago Bears: $28,255,518

6 – Houston Texans: $26,989,279

7 – New England Patriots: $26,282,218

8 – Jacksonville Jaguars: $24,965,885

9 – Las Vegas Raiders: $23,826,385

10 – Detroit Lions: $21,714,812

11 – Minnesota Vikings: $21,189,643

12 – New York Jets: $21,176,132

13 – Seattle Seahawks: $20,571,473

14 – Green Bay Packers: $20,125,477

15 – Miami Dolphins: $20,004,761

16 – Arizona Cardinals: $19,831,094

17 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $18,427,802

18 – Atlanta Falcons: $17,936,398

19 – Tennessee Titans: $17,124,302

20 – Washington Commanders: $16,523,136

  • Percentage of total cap: 5.49 percent
  • 2025 rank: 4th
  • Top cap hit: Frankie Luvu, $11,295,000 (3.75 percent)
  • Other notable cap hits: Sonny Styles, $6,765,744 (2.25 percent)
  • PFF grade: 64.5 (20th)
  • Starters: Styles, Luvu
  • Depth: Leo Chenal, Kain Medrano, Jordan Magee

21 – Cleveland Browns: $16,076,271

22 – Denver Broncos: $15,979,809

23 – Los Angeles Chargers: $15,899,927

24 – Buffalo Bills: $15,347,682

25 – Philadelphia Eagles: $15,204,491

26 – Carolina Panthers: $14,851,013

27 – New York Giants: $13,135,792

28 – Los Angeles Rams: $13,059,666

29 – New Orleans Saints: $12,523,660

30 – Cincinnati Bengals: $12,163,824

31 – Dallas Cowboys: $11,973,763

32 – Indianapolis Colts: $9,146,733

  • Percentage of total cap: 3.04 percent
  • 2025 rank: 23rd
  • Top cap hit: Akeem Davis-Gaither, $2,725,000 (0.9 percent)
  • PFF grade: 49.9 (30th)
  • Starters: CJ Allen, Davis-Gaither
  • Depth: Bryce Boettcher, Austin Ajiake

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