Everyone wants to focus on this year’s salary cap. There’s a good reason for that: Fans want to win now. Teams, though, are looking at how they stand on a year-to-year basis, so they don’t end up in the perpetual cap hell that the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints have found themselves in over the past couple of seasons.

Thankfully, cap analyst Ken Ingalls has done the good work for us and has laid out what the Green Bay Packers’ cap situation looks like going into 2026. In short, the Packers’ roster will be reshaped, by either salaries converted into bonuses or outright releases, next offseason.

This year, the Packers didn’t have to do much salary manipulation, because they’ve finally gotten over the dead cap of players like quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was still counted on their books in 2024. Next year, though, with all the new deals that Green Bay has signed — both internally and in free agency — the team is expected to be $27.4 million over the 2026 cap number of $295.5 million. That includes two seasons’ worth of draft classes and no rollover cap space from 2025. So if the Packers sit out the rest of free agency, don’t be shocked. That rollover money could go a long way for them.

This number also didn’t include potential extensions for starters going into contract seasons in 2025, players they could want to re-sign. Players who fit that description right now are linebacker Quay Walker, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, receiver Christian Watson, receiver Romeo Doubs, right tackle Zach Tom, left tackle Rasheed Walker and defensive end Kingsley Enagbare.

There are plenty of ways for the Packers to clear cap space over the next two years. First, this assumes that cornerback Jaire Alexander will still be playing on his full salary in two years. That seems highly doubtful.

Secondly, defensive tackle Kenny Clark ($19.8 million), center Elgton Jenkins ($18.5 million), defensive end Rashan Gary ($18 million), left guard Aaron Banks ($17.2 million), safety Xavier McKinney ($12.75 million), quarterback Jordan Love ($10.4 million) and running back Josh Jacobs ($10.2) have a combined $106.85 million counting against the 2026 salary cap in the form of 2026 base salary and 2026 roster bonuses. Either or both of those numbers can be converted into a signing bonus next year and can be spread up to five years from a cap accounting perspective.

Basically, the Packers have overspent on paper, but there are plenty of ways to get them to a healthy cap situation next year. What that will mean, though, is that 2025 is a big season for the roster overall. If players don’t perform up to their standard next year, they’re likely to become cap casualties. If they do perform to their standard, their 2026 payments will likely convert to signing bonuses to create cap space for the underperformers’ replacements and the long-term extensions that Green Bay will want to hand out to their young players.