NFL
Which NFL Team Had The Highest Injury Cost In The 24/25 Season?
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Key Highlights:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent an NFL-high $33.4 million on injured players—29% more than the next-highest team and nearly twice the league average.
- Chris Godwin ($12.2M) and Ja’Whaun Bentley ($11.1M) were the highest-paid injured players in the NFL.
- 5 of the 6 teams with under $10 million in injury costs made the NFL Playoffs.
- Every $10 million in injury costs correlates to a 11.56% drop in win percentage.
NFL teams spend millions on player salaries, but injuries can turn those contracts into dead money. Some teams took massive financial hits in 2024-25, while others avoided costly setbacks. The data shows a clear trend: teams that kept injury costs low made deep playoff runs, while those that lost the most money on injured players struggled to stay competitive.
Using data from Pro Football Reference and Spotrac, we calculated which teams spent the most on injured players.
Here’s how we broke it down:
- Took each player’s total salary.
- Divided it by how many games their team played to get their salary per game.
- Multiplied that by the number of games they missed due to injury.
This gave us a team’s total injury cost for the season and their cost per game for injured players.
Injury Cost by NFL Team 2024/25 Season
| Team | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $33,489,347.00 |
| Carolina Panthers | $25,994,832.00 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | $25,827,264.00 |
| Dallas Cowboys | $24,797,637.00 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | $24,690,026.00 |
| San Francisco 49ers | $23,269,546.00 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | $23,026,043.00 |
| New York Giants | $22,524,825.00 |
| Detroit Lions | $22,268,164.00 |
| Los Angeles Rams | $20,555,503.00 |
| Indianapolis Colts | $19,984,265.00 |
| Arizona Cardinals | $18,896,954.00 |
| New York Jets | $17,337,347.00 |
| Cleveland Browns | $17,004,288.00 |
| Tennessee Titans | $16,687,686.00 |
| Houston Texans | $15,765,860.00 |
| Chicago Bears | $15,763,933.00 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | $15,420,517.00 |
| Miami Dolphins | $15,185,050.00 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | $14,040,476.00 |
| New Orleans Saints | $13,857,730.00 |
| Washington Commanders | $13,849,055.00 |
| Atlanta Falcons | $12,832,567.00 |
| Green Bay Packers | $12,822,515.00 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | $12,801,771.00 |
| New England Patriots | $11,107,338.00 |
| Denver Broncos | $9,654,763.00 |
| Minnesota Vikings | $9,549,813.00 |
| Seattle Seahawks | $9,125,497.00 |
| Baltimore Ravens | $8,992,772.00 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | $8,361,667.00 |
| Buffalo Bills | $6,061,947.00 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Led the NFL in Injury Costs
No team lost more money to injuries than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who spent $33.4 million on players who couldn’t contribute. That’s 29% more than the next-highest team and nearly twice the NFL average of $16.9 million.
Key Injuries That Hurt Tampa Bay
- Chris Godwin (WR) – Missed 11 games, costing $12.2 million.
- Vita Vea (DL) – Missed 4 games, costing $3.4 million.
- Jamel Dean (CB) – Missed 6 games, costing $4 million.
With so much dead money tied up in injuries, Tampa Bay had to rely on depth players to stay competitive. While they managed a winning record, it’s tough to overcome that level of financial loss.
NFL Teams Suffering as a Result of High Injury Cost
The Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Dallas Cowboys weren’t far behind:
- Carolina Panthers – $26 million lost to injuries, with offensive line issues making life miserable for Bryce Young.
- Las Vegas Raiders – $25.8 million in injury costs, including Maxx Crosby, who was a major loss for their defense.
- Dallas Cowboys – $24.8 million in injury-related costs, including DeMarcus Lawrence, one of their top pass rushers.
These teams all struggled with depth and consistency, and none of them made a serious playoff push, all finishing the season with losing records.
Highest-Paid Injured Players in the NFL
Losing a high-paid star isn’t just a financial hit—it often derails a team’s season. In 2024-25, some of the league’s best players missed extended time, leaving their teams scrambling. The top five most expensive injuries cost teams millions in salary while taking away key contributors:
- Chris Godwin (Buccaneers) – $12.2M (Missed 11 games)
- Christian Kirk (Jaguars) – $7.67M (Missed 9 games)
- DeMarcus Lawrence (Cowboys) – $7.65M (Missed 13 games)
- Maxx Crosby (Raiders) – $7.21M (Missed 5 games)
- Andrew Thomas (Giants) – $6.4M (Missed 11 games)
Teams that had enough depth to compensate fared better. Tampa Bay, despite losing Chris Godwin for most of the year, still managed to make the playoffs. Dallas, however, couldn’t generate the same defensive pressure without DeMarcus Lawrence, contributing to an inconsistent season.
For teams like the Raiders, who were already thin on talent, losing Maxx Crosby for much of the year was too much to overcome. He was their best defensive player, and without him, they had no answer on that side of the ball.
Across the league, losing a high-paid star often meant a major drop in production, forcing teams to rely on backups and adjust their game plans. Some teams managed, but unsurprisingly, for most, these injuries played a big role in their struggles.
Low Injury Costs Were a Common Factor for Playoff Teams
Injuries don’t just affect rosters; they directly impact postseason chances. Five of the six teams with less than $10 million in injury costs made the playoffs:
- Philadelphia Eagles – $8.36 million (Super Bowl champions).
- Baltimore Ravens – $8.99 million (AFC’s No. 1 seed).
- Buffalo Bills – $6.06 million (deep playoff run).
- Minnesota Vikings – $9.55 million.
- Denver Broncos – $9.65 million.
The Eagles, in particular, are proof that staying healthy is a (lucky) winning strategy. Their relatively low injury cost helped them keep a consistent lineup all season, leading to a championship.
How Injury Costs Impact Win Percentage
According to the data over last season, every $10 million in injury costs correlated with an 11.56% drop in win percentage. While injuries aren’t the only factor in a team’s success, the data shows a clear trend—teams that kept injury costs low generally performed better.
The Philadelphia Eagles ($8.36M) won the Super Bowl, while the Buffalo Bills ($6.06M) and Baltimore Ravens ($8.99M) both made deep playoff runs. The Minnesota Vikings ($9.55M) and Denver Broncos ($9.65M) also reached the postseason, meaning, as previously mentioned, five of the six teams with under $10 million in injury costs made the playoffs.
On the other end, the New York Giants ($22.52M, 3-14 record), Carolina Panthers ($25.99M, 5-12 record), and Las Vegas Raiders ($25.82M, 4-13 record) struggled. The outlier was Tampa Bay, who led the NFL with $33.4M in injury costs yet still managed to finish 10-8 and make the playoffs. That kind of success despite major injuries was rare—most teams in similar situations couldn’t compete.
Commentary
“Injuries are part of the game, but the financial impact is something teams can’t ignore,” said SportsCasting Head of News, Nick Raffoul. “The correlation between injury costs and performance is clear—teams that stayed healthy had a much better chance of making deep playoff runs.
“You look at the Eagles, Bills, and Ravens, and their lower injury costs allowed them to maintain consistency throughout the season. Meanwhile, teams like the Giants and Panthers had significant injury expenses and struggled to stay competitive. Even Tampa Bay, despite leading the league in injury costs, was an exception rather than the rule when it came to overcoming those setbacks.”
