NFL salary cap rising to at least $277.5M

Field Level Media|published: 02/19/2025, 2:12pm EST

Feb 1, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; An overall view of the NFL shield logo at midfield on the Camping World Stadium flag football field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 2025 salary cap will surge to an estimated $277.5 million per team and could climb as high as $281.5 million, up at least $22 million from last season.

The new cap marks an increase of more than $53 million over the past two years.

The NFL sent a memo to teams on Wednesday outlining the new range, explaining the reason why it's not yet finalized.

"We presented a range of options to the NFL Players Association in December; however, we still have not been advised on how the Union plans to reinstate the deferral for the 2025 League Year," the memo read. "We expect to conclude negotiations over the 2025 Player Cost and Salary Cap amount next week."

This is from the memo the league sent to teams today, including league's explanation of why the cap number is not yet finalized. pic.twitter.com/CQC5azcMO8
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) February 19, 2025

The league added, "Keep in mind that this range is subject to change based on further negotiations with the NFL Players Association."

Franchise tag salaries cannot be set until a number is finalized by the league.

Clubs have until the start of the new league year -- March 12 at 4 p.m. -- to get under the salary cap.

The cap has risen annually since 2011, except for 2021, as the league prioritized recovery from the pandemic, including loss of live attendance gate and concessions profits.

In 2011, the cap was $120.37 million. It crossed the $200 million barrier in 2022 at $208.2 million.

--Field Level Media