NFL Rumors: 2025 Salary Cap to Be in $277.5-$281.5M Range Ahead of Free Agency, Draft

The NFL has reportedly informed teams that the salary cap for the 2025 season will be in the range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million.

Per Dan Graziano of ESPN, the cap is up from $255.4 million during the 2024 campaign.

The league determines the salary cap based on a percentage of various revenue streams divided by 32 to account for each team. This marks the fourth consecutive year the cap has gone up by at least $10 million.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the cap dropped by $15.7 million to $182.5 million in 2021. Since that time, the cap has ballooned by nearly $100 million.

These figures are a function of the NFL having signed long-term television contracts in March 2021 worth a total of $10 billion annually. On top of that, the league has sold rights to games on individual dates, most notably two Christmas Day games on Netflix this past season for $150 million.

Once the cap is set for the 2025 season, focus will turn to March 12 when the new league year begins and teams can start upgrading their rosters by signing free agents or making trades.

The New England Patriots have the most cap space to use this offseason by far. They are the only team with at least $100 million available. The Las Vegas Raiders are second at $92.7 million.

Perhaps the most intriguing team will be the Washington Commanders. After finding their franchise quarterback in 2024 Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and reaching the NFC Championship Game, they have $80.5 million to add talent to their roster.