NFL Rumors: Teams Aren't Planning for $30M Salary Cap Increase in 2025 Like in 2024

Looking ahead to the offseason, NFL teams are preparing for a lower cap increase in 2025 than what they got last year.

Per ESPN's Todd Archer, teams "aren't planning" for the $30 million cap spike that happened in 2024.

Last year saw the cap go from $224.8 million to $255.4 million, a record increase of 13.6 percent. The spike allowed teams to keep some expensive players that might have otherwise been cap casualties in a normal year.

If the traditional pattern holds, the NFL will announce the 2025 salary cap at some point in February. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on Dec. 8 that teams are budgeting for a cap number between $265-275 million.

Last year's cap spike was largely connected to the start of the league's new television contracts that pay the NFL roughly $10 billion annually.

Using Over the Cap's estimate of a $272.5 million salary cap in 2025, the Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints are the only teams projected to be over that figure. The Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins are included in that group if you factor in effective cap space.

The New England Patriots have, by far, the most actual cap space ($132.5 million) and effective cap space ($117.8 million). The Las Vegas Raiders ($110.3 million) and Arizona Cardinals ($105.9 million) are the only other teams with at least $100 million in actual cap space to use.