NFL's 2025 Salary Cap Set for Record $279.2M; Up $24M From 2024 Season

The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to set the 2025 salary cap at $279.2 million, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The figure is another high for the league and represents an increase of nearly $24 million from the salary cap this past season ($255.2 million).

The final number is right about where many expected it to be. Pelissero reported Wednesday the NFL told its 32 teams the cap would likely fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million.

Per Spotrac, the New England Patriots have the most cap space ($129.8 million). The New Orleans Saints are at the bottom of the list as they're $47 million over the cap.

This is now the 14th time in the last 15 years the salary cap has climbed. The lone exception was 2021, when the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were being felt.

In 2021, the NFL signed 11-year media rights deals that combine to total more than $100 billion. The league's domestic revenue is locked in for a long time.

To further boost the bottom line, commissioner Roger Goodell and others have become even more aggressive in their efforts to expand the NFL's footprint abroad. That's evident in tangible ways, such as adding games to the International Series, and through more incremental means. For example, getting flag football added as an Olympic sport in 2028 was part of the league's international strategy.

Goodell has received plenty of criticism from fans over the years. Owners have every reason to be thrilled with his work because team valuations continue to climb. General managers will be happy, too, because they have more and more money to spend in pursuit of building championship-caliber rosters.