NFL Teams' Updated Salary Cap for 2025 Free Agency After Franchise Tag Deadline

The NFL's deadline for applying franchise and transition tags passed at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Two franchises used the tag, keeping those players from the free-agent market as a result.

Free agency will officially begin at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 12. However, the legal-contact window will open at noon ET on Monday, March 10. While players cannot sign free-agent deals during the contact period, many agreements will be struck during the unofficial window.

Many teams will have a surplus of money to spend, with the cap officially rising to $279.2 million this year. With tags, cuts and recent contracts applied, here's a look at where things stand for each team in terms of available cap space, per Spotrac:

New England Patriots $128.1 million

Las Vegas Raiders: $93.2 million

Washington Commanders $78.5 million

Arizona Cardinals $67.7 million

Los Angeles Chargers $66.2 million

Minnesota Vikings $62.8 million

Chicago Bears $61.4 million

Tennessee Titans $54 million

Pittsburgh Steelers $53.9 million

Detroit Lions $62.7 million

Los Angeles Rams $50.8 million

New York Giants $49.3 million

Green Bay Packers $41.2 million

Denver Broncos $40.7 million

Cincinnati Bengals $38 million

New York Jets $33.9 million

Jacksonville Jaguars $33.3 million

Indianapolis Colts $28.6 million

Carolina Panthers $26.5 million

San Francisco 49ers $24.3 million

Dallas Cowboys $14.9 million

Seattle Seahawks $13.7 million

Baltimore Ravens $10.4 million

Philadelphia Eagles $10.4 million

Miami Dolphins $9.4 million

Tampa Bay Buccaneers $633,345

Houston Texans -$309,890

Atlanta Falcons -$7 million

Buffalo Bills -$15.4 million

Kansas City Chiefs -$16 million

Cleveland Browns -$29.9 million

New Orleans Saints -$56.8 million

While there wasn't a flurry of tag activity this offseason, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith did receive the franchise tag.

That's a small number, especially compared to the eight players who received the tag in 2024.

However, Smith and Higgins were two of this year's top impending free agents—they ranked first and second, respectively, on Bleacher Report's post-Super Bowl free agency big board.

Higgins has received the franchise tag for the second straight offseason. That means he'll receive a 20 percent raise over his 2024 salary, unless the Bengals work out a long-term extension instead.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, "the hope" for Cincinnati is that the tag will merely be a "placeholder" for a multiyear deal with Higgins.

Notable players who did not receive the franchise tag include Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Dallas was open to using the tag on Odighizuwa but instead inked him to a four-year, $80 million contract extension on Tuesday, according to Rapoport and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Barring an extension before Monday, Darnold should hit the market as the top quarterback target in 2025 free agency. While the 27-year-old struggled in Minnesota's season finale and in the playoffs, he was a 2024 Pro Bowler and helped deliver 14 regular-season wins.

The New England Patriots won't be in the QB market, as they're set to roll with second-year signal-caller Drake Maye. However, the Patriots and new head coach Mike Vrabel do need to upgrade Maye's supporting cast and have a league-leading $128.1 million with which to work.

The Las Vegas Raiders trail only New England in terms of cap space and could be strong suitors for Darnold. Las Vegas was interested in a trade for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. However, Stafford took less money than the Raiders were willing to offer to stay in L.A., according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

Along with Darnold, the Raiders—and other QB-needy teams—may consider impending free agents like Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Jameis Winston. While the Pittsburgh Steelers may retain one of their 2024 starters, they're more likely to re-sign Fields than Wilson, according to Rapoport.

Like the Patriots, the Washington Commanders have their quarterback in place. Jayden Daniels helped Washington reach the NFC title game this past season, and he could be leading an even better team in 2025. The Commanders have already acquired wide receiver Deebo Samuel in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, and they approach free agency with the third-most cap space in the league.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Brown. Both franchises face massive cap deficits and have significant roster issues that must be addressed. The Browns must also navigate the trade request of star pass-rusher Myles Garrett.

Publicly, Cleveland has stated that it won't move its biggest star. However, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently reported that some around the league are "skeptical" that the Browns will stick to that stance. Cleveland is likely entering a rebuilding mode and may select a new quarterback with the second overall pick in April's draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans are also over the salary cap, though their respective situations aren't as dire as those of Cleveland and New Orleans. Teams have until the start of the new league year—which coincides with the start of free agency on Wednesday—to become cap-compliant.