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. Today: tight ends. They might be the league’s trendiest position right now. Whether it’s as one half of the American wedding of the century or as the cutting edge of the league’s offensive schematic meta, tight ends are being sought after. Despite their best promotional efforts, however, tight ends haven’t quite seen that demand follow when it comes to salary. They lag behind every other position outside of running back, although that’s partially because teams roster more players at most of the other positions. 

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 tight end rooms shake out from most expensive to least expensive: 

Resources:

• Salary information via Over The Cap
• Depth charts via OurLads
• Pro Football Focus grades 

1 – Minnesota Vikings: $29,379,622

• Percentage of total cap: 9.75 percent
• 2025 rank: 3rd
• Top cap hit: T.J. Hockenson, $15,605,000 (5.18 percent)
• Other notable cap hits: Josh Oliver, $9,934,000 (3.3 percent)
• PFF grade: 64.2 (14th)
• Depth chart: Hockenson, Oliver, Benjamin Yurosek

2 – Atlanta Falcons: $25,788,333

• Percentage of total cap: 8.56 percent
• 2025 rank: 11th
• Top cap hit: Kyle Pitts, $15,045,000 (5 percent)
• PFF grade: 65.1 (11th)
• Depth chart: Pitts, Austin Hooper, Charlie Woerner

3 – Denver Broncos: $23,196,647

• Percentage of total cap: 7.7 percent
• 2025 rank: 18th
• Top cap hit: Evan Engram, $14,136,666 (4.69 percent)
• PFF grade: 54.6 (31st)
• Depth chart: Engram, Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, Justin Joly

4 – San Francisco 49ers: $22,763,695

• Percentage of total cap: 7.56 percent
• 2025 rank: 9th
• Top cap hit: George Kittle, $14,147,529 (4.7 percent)
• PFF grade: 75.8 (1st)
• Depth chart: Kittle, Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis

5 – Los Angeles Rams: $21,688,775

• Percentage of total cap: 7.2 percent
• 2025 rank: 5th
• Top cap hit: Colby Parkinson, $9,083,334 (3.02 percent)
• PFF grade: 67.6 (6th)
• Depth chart: Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, Davis Allen, Max Klare, Tyler Higbee

6 – New England Patriots: $20,402,871

• Percentage of total cap: 6.77 percent
• 2025 rank: 8th
• Top cap hit: Hunter Henry, $11,750,000 (3.9 percent)
• PFF grade: 63.2 (16th)
• Depth chart: Henry, Eli Raridon, CJ Dippre

7 – Philadelphia Eagles: $18,663,781

• Percentage of total cap: 6.2 percent
• 2025 rank: 14th
• Top cap hit: Dallas Goedert, $10,230,880 (3.4 percent)
• PFF grade: 59.2 (24th)
• Depth chart: Goedert, Eli Stowers, Johnny Mundt, Grant Calcaterra, Stone Smartt, Cameron Latu

8 – Chicago Bears: $17,751,138

• Percentage of total cap: 5.89 percent
• 2025 rank: 6th
• Top cap hit: Cole Kmet, $7,775,000 (2.58 percent)
• Other notable cap hit: Colston Loveland, $6,053,638 (2.01 percent)
• PFF grade: 73.5 (2nd)
• Depth chart: Loveland, Kmet, Sam Roush

9 – Houston Texans: $17,648,677

• Percentage of total cap: 5.86 percent
• 2025 rank: 12th
• Top cap hit: Dalton Schultz, $9,549,000 (3.17 percent)
• PFF grade: 59.9 (22nd)
• Depth chart: Schultz, Cade Stover, Marlin Klein, Foster Moreau, Brevin Jordan

10 – Kansas City Chiefs: $16,670,488

• Percentage of total cap: 5.53 percent
• 2025 rank: 2nd
• Top cap hit: Noah Gray, $6,970,000 (2.31 percent)
• Other notable cap hit: Travis Kelce, $4,896,667 (1.63 percent)
• PFF grade: 64.9 (12th)
• Depth chart: Kelce, Gray, Jared Wiley

11 – Dallas Cowboys: $16,269,777

• Percentage of total cap: 5.4 percent
• 2025 rank: 27th
• Total cap hit: Jake Ferguson, $10,400,000 (3.45 percent)
• PFF grade: 62.5 (17th)
• Depth chart: Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford

12 – Buffalo Bills: $15,988,627

• Percentage of total cap: 5.31 percent
• 2025 rank: 7th
• Top cap hit: Dawson Knox, $8,551,333 (2.84 percent)
• Other notable cap hit: Dalton Kincaid, $4,272,240 (1.42 percent)
• PFF grade: 70.4 (4th)
• Depth chart: Knox, Kincaid, Jackson Hawes

13 – Washington Commanders: $15,949,591

• Percentage of total cap: 5.3 percent
• 2025 rank: 17th
• Top cap hit: John Bates, $5,793,333 (1.92 percent)
• Other notable cap hit: Chigoziem Okonkwo, $5,333,333 (1.77 percent)
• PFF grade: 56.4 (29th)
• Depth chart: Okonkwo, Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff

14 – New Orleans Saints: $15,829,921

• Percentage of total cap: 5.26 percent
• 2025 rank: 1st
• Top cap hit: Juwan Johnson, $7,613,000 (2.53 percent)
• PFF grade: 55.4 (30th)
• Depth chart: Johnson, Noah Fant, Oscar Delp

15 – Cincinnati Bengals: $15,725,343

• Percentage of total cap: 5.22 percent
• 2025 rank: 16th
• Top cap hit: Mike Gesicki, $7,584,313 (2.52 percent)
• PFF grade: 65.9 (8th)
• Depth chart: Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All Jr., Tanner Hudson, Jack Endries

16 – Pittsburgh Steelers: $15,270,918

• Percentage of total cap: 5.07 percent
• 2025 rank: 13th
• Top cap hit: Pat Freiermuth, $6,943,333 (2.31 percent)
• Other notable cap hit: Darnell Washington, $3,473,438 (1.15 percent)
• PFF grade: 65.9 (7th)
• Depth chart: Freiermuth, Washington, Robert Tonyan

17 – Detroit Lions: $15,205,423

• Percentage of total cap: 5.05 percent
• 2025 rank: 24th
• Top cap hit: Sam LaPorta, $6,738,090 (2.24 percent)
• PFF grade: 59.3 (23rd)
• Depth chart: LaPorta, Brock Wright, Tyler Conklin

18 – Arizona Cardinals: $14,230,067

• Percentage of total cap: 4.72 percent
• 2025 rank: 19th
• Top cap hit: Trey McBride, $8,701,000 (2.89 percent)
• PFF grade: 71.6 (3rd)
• Depth chart: McBride, Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins

19 – Las Vegas Raiders: $14,217,871

• Percentage of total cap: 4.72 percent
• 2025 rank: 22nd
• Top cap hit: Brock Bowers, $4,946,941 (1.64 percent)
• PFF grade: 69.1 (5th)
• Depth chart: Bowers, Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas

20 – New York Jets: $13,194,859

• Percentage of total cap: 4.38 percent
• 2025 rank: 32nd
• Top cap hit: Kenyon Sadiq, $4,062,601 (1.35 percent)
• PFF grade: 58.1 (27th)
• Depth chart: Mason Taylor, Sadiq, Jeremy Ruckert

21 – Baltimore Ravens: $12,929,252

• Percentage of total cap: 4.29 percent
• 2025 rank: 4th
• Top cap hit: Mark Andrews, $6,979,624 (2.32 percent)
• PFF grade: 54.6 (32nd)
• Depth chart: Andrews, Durham Smythe, Matthew Hibner, Josh Cuevas

22 – Carolina Panthers: $12,816,301

• Percentage of total cap: 4.26 percent
• 2025 rank: 26th
• Top cap hit: Tommy Tremble, $8,000,000 (2.66 percent)
• PFF grade: 60.1 (21st)
• Depth chart: Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Mitchell Evans

23 – Jacksonville Jaguars: $12,407,296

• Percentage of total cap: 4.12 percent
• 2025 rank: 23rd
• Top cap hit: Brenton Strange, $3,329,639 (1.11 percent)
• PFF grade: 62 (18th)
• Depth chart: Strange, Nate Boerkircher, Tanner Koziol, Quintin Morris, Hunter Long

24 – Green Bay Packers: $12,157,283

• Percentage of total cap: 4.04 percent
• 2025 rank: 30th
• Top cap hit: Tucker Kraft, $3,930,897 (1.31 percent)
• PFF grade: 62 (19th)
• Depth chart: Kraft, Josh Whyle, Luke Musgrave

25 – Seattle Seahawks: $11,766,869

• Percentage of total cap: 3.91 percent
• 2025 rank: 10th
• Top cap hit: Eric Saubert, $2,130,000 (0.71 percent)
• Other notable cap hits: A.J. Barner, $1,263,777 (0.42 percent), Elijah Arroyo, $2,003,039 (0.67 percent)
• PFF grade: 63.5 (15th)
• Depth chart: Barner, Arroyo, Saubert

26 – Indianapolis Colts: $11,682,265

• Percentage of total cap: 3.88 percent
• 2025 rank: 21st
• Top cap hit: Tyler Warren, $4,763,784 (1.58 percent)
• PFF grade: 64.4 (64.4)
• Depth chart: Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Andrew Ogletree, Will Mallory

27 – Los Angeles Chargers: $11,045,175

• Percentage of total cap: 3.67 percent
• 2025 rank: 20th
• Top cap hit: Charlie Kolar, $4,333,333 (1.44 percent)
• PFF grade: 65.8 (10th)
• Depth chart: Kolar, David Njoku, Oronde Gadsden

28 – Tennessee Titans: $10,535,746

• Percentage of total cap: 3.5 percent
• 2025 rank: 29th
• Top cap hit: Daniel Bellinger, $5,136,666 (1.71 percent)
• PFF grade: 61.3 (20th)
• Depth chart: Gunnar Helm, Bellinger, Kylen Granson

29 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $9,698,769

• Percentage of total cap: 3.22 percent
• 2025 rank: 31st
• Top cap hit: Cade Otton, $4,143,333 (1.38 percent)
• PFF grade: 58.4 (25th)
• Depth chart: Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft

30 – New York Giants: $9,674,992

• Percentage of total cap: 3.21 percent
• 2025 rank: 25th
• Top cap hit: Isaiah Likely, $6,087,254 (2.02 percent)
• PFF grade: 58.3 (26th)
• Depth chart: Likely, Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz

31 – Cleveland Browns: $6,823,980

• Percentage of total cap: 2.27 percent
• 2025 rank: 15th
• Top cap hit: Harold Fannin Jr., $1,532,474 (0.51 percent)
• PFF grade: 56.8 (28th)
• Depth chart: Fannin, Blake Whiteheart, Joe Royer, Carsen Ryan

32 – Miami Dolphins: $6,330,726

• Percentage of total cap: 2.1 percent
• 2025 rank: 28th
• Top cap hit: Greg Dulcich, $1,698,000 (0.56 percent)
• PFF grade: 65.9 (9th)
• Depth chart: Dulcich, Will Kacmarek, Ben Sims, Seydou Traore