You’ve seen headlines about record contract extensions, contract restructures, dead money and the last trickles of NFL free agency in training camp. Now, general managers are tallying their final salary cap ledgers as the 2025 NFL season gears up.
Don’t forget: You can watch NFL football all season long and see just how level of a playing field the salary cap creates on DIRECTV.
What is the NFL Salary Cap?
The NFL salary cap is a limit on how much each team can pay the players on its roster in a season. Salary caps are designed to promote balance among the leagues’ teams, so that the teams with the most financial resources can’t simply dominate play by spending more than teams with less available cash.
The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) mandates a revenue sharing split. Typically, that split leans slightly in favor of ownership.
How Does the NFL Salary Cap Work?
The NFL first implemented its salary cap in 1994 after the NFLPA successfully sued the league to begin unrestricted free agency. The Player’s Association agreed to a salary cap in concession.
In 1994, the cap was set at $34.3M. Heading into the 2025 season the salary cap for each team is up to $279.2M.
Teams can’t be over the cap when a new league year starts in March, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get creative.
There are ways teams can move money around or classify spend to hit that number – like a contract restructure or signing bonus. Teams can roll over unused cap from one year to the next. But every team must spend at least 89% of the cap over a four-year period.
Only player salaries, not those of a team’s coaching staff, count towards the cap. Here’s how it essentially breaks down.
- Cap space – The amount teams can spend on player contracts under the salary cap.
- Active Player Cap – The amount of the salary cap committed to players on their team’s 53-man active roster.
- Dead Money – The salaries of players who have left the team but are still under contract also count toward the cap.
- Total Cap Allocations – The amount a team has committed toward the salary cap including active player cap, dead money and, while not included below players on injured reserve or suspensed.
There’s a lot more that goes into the salary cap and salary cap management in the NFL, but these are the basics when it comes to player compensation.
Salary Cap Space for all 32 NFL Teams Heading into 2025 Season
After the dual signing frenzies of free agency and the NFL draft as well as the stunning trade of Micah Parsons, teams have cooled off on their spending. But as we make our way through the season and each team’s path to the Super Bowl becomes a little clearer, midseason trades and signings could make or break a year.
Here are the teams in order of available cap room heading into the 2025-26 season.
| Rank | Team | Cap Space | Total Cap Allocations | Active Player Cap | Dead Money |
| 1 | New England Patriots | $53.47M | $269.14M | $220.12M | $32.58M |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | $38.99M | $268.01M | $219.03M | $31.92M |
| 3 | Detroit Lions | $33.01M | $273.47M | $222.04M | $27.31M |
| 4 | San Francisco 49ers | $29.22M | $277.37M | $230.74M | $17.42M |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers | $27.25M | $279.35M | $237.47M | $14.64M |
| 6 | Las Vegas Raiders | $27.25M | $279.35M | $237.73M | $13.37M |
| 7 | Seattle Seahawks | $25.31M | $281.29M | $233.94M | $22.05M |
| 8 | Tennessee Titans | $22.20M | $284.40M | $257.08M | $5.13M |
| 9 | New York Jets | $19.86M | $286.74M | $251.01M | $16.88M |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | $19.11M | $287.49M | $255.88M | $12.51M |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | $18.73M | $287.87M | $256.63M | $13.52M |
| 12 | Los Angeles Chargers | $18.41M | $288.19M | $254.91M | $14.88M |
| 13 | Washington Commanders | $18.37M | $288.23M | $237.99M | $31.87M |
| 14 | Arizona Cardinals | $17.91M | $288.70M | $253.75M | $17.05M |
| 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | $17.12M | $289.48M | $261.83M | $10.52M |
| 16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $16.63M | $289.97M | $254.83M | $19.52M |
| 17 | Denver Broncos | $15.74M | $290.86M | $248.14M | $27M |
| 18 | Green Bay Packers | $14.22M | $292.38M | $270.55M | $7.62M |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | $13.44M | $293.16M | $266.23M | $13.49M |
| 20 | Jacksonville Jaguars | $10.55M | $296.05M | $274.68M | $10.83M |
| 21 | New Orleans Saints | $8.79M | $297.81M | $256.94M | $32.07M |
| 22 | Cleveland Browns | $7.81M | $298.79M | $256.14M | $35.84M |
| 23 | Carolina Panthers | $6.25M | $300.35M | $256.46M | $37.65M |
| 24 | Indianapolis Colts | $4.98M | $301.62M | $276.85M | $19.79M |
| 25 | Miami Dolphins | $4.71M | $301.90M | $267.65M | $29.55M |
| 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | $4.08M | $302.52M | $283.21M | $15.22M |
| 27 | Baltimore Ravens | ($3.01M) | $309.61M | $264.13M | $42.46M |
| 28 | Chicago Bears | ($3.28M) | $309.88M | $274.65M | $32.05M |
| 29 | Houston Texans | ($4.43M) | $311.03M | $275.43M | $31.17M |
| 30 | New York Giants | ($9.86M) | $316.46M | $266.85M | $40.75M |
| 31 | Buffalo Bills | ($13.43M) | $320.03M | $284.03M | $29.5M |
| 32 | Atlanta Falcons | ($15.29M) | $321.89M | $274.90M | $40.5M |
Source: Spotrac
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NFL's current salary cap limit?
Heading into the 2025 season, the NFL salary cap is $279.2 million.
What determines the salary cap?
The salary cap is determined by a collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association for league revenue. NFL cap space is financed by the revenue split of media rights deals, sponsors, advertising and merchandise and ticket sales.
Which team has the most NFL salary cap space in 2025-26?
The New England Patriots enter the 2025 season with the most cap space at $53.47M.
Which NFL team has the least cap space available this season?
The Atlanta Falcons enter the league with the least cap space available. They are currently over the cap by $15.29M.
What happens if an NFL team is over the salary cap?
If a team enters the league year in March over the cap they could be fined, lose future draft picks and/or have player contracts voided.
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