NFL
NFL Salary Cap Has Increased By $100 Million Since 2018
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Get to know Dan Girolamo betterPublished19 Feb 2025
The NFL salary cap will increase substantially for the 2025 season. The 2025 estimated number means the salary cap has increased by around $100 million since 2018.
What Is The Estimated 2025 NFL Salary Cap?
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
Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the NFL informed teams that the salary cap for each team in 2025 would be between $277.5 million and $281.5 million.
Negotiations between the league and the NFL Players Association are still ongoing. The final figure is to be determined at a later date.
Regardless of the final number, it’s a significant increase from the 2024 salary cap figure of $255.4 million.
The salary cap will have increased by over $50 million in the past two years.
Since 2018, the salary cap has jumped over $100 million.
NFL Salary Cap By The Years
| Year | Salary Cap |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $277.5 million to $281.5 million |
| 2024 | $255.4 million |
| 2023 | $224.8 million |
| 2022 | $208.2 million |
| 2021 | $182.5 million |
| 2020 | $198.2 million |
| 2019 | $188.2 million |
| 2018 | $177.2 million |
How does the league calculate the salary cap?
The salary cap is based on a collectively bargained formula attached to leave revenues.
In layman’s terms, the salary cap increases when the league makes a lot of money. The recent media rights deal explains much of the climbing salary cap.
In 2021, the NFL signed an 11-year media rights deal worth approximately $110 billion. The NFL’s media partners are Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX, and NBC.
This past season, the NFL signed an agreement with Netflix to broadcast Christmas Day games.
In 2024, the Chiefs vs. Steelers and the Ravens vs. Texans air on Christmas.
Netflix will broadcast at least one NFL game in 2025 and 2026.
The NFL can opt out of its deal with its media partners, besides Disney, after the 2028-2029 season.
