League stuns executives and fans with latest NFL salary cap numbers: “Saw the chiefs in cap trouble…”

Last season, the NFL increased its salary cap by more than $30 million, giving players the opportunity to land record-breaking deals.

League stuns executives and fans with latest NFL salary cap numbers: “Saw the chiefs in cap trouble…”

Roger Goodell's NFL again increases its salary cap substantially (Image via SBJ/X)

Last season, every team in the NFL built their rosters around the $255.4 million salary cap space. This season, it was expected that Roger Goodell and his executives would not increase the cap as substantially as they did last season. That incredible increase in the NFL salary cap saw player pay rise exponentially.

When the likes of Patrick Mahomes first broke headlines with his contract negotiations, everyone expected him to be the benchmark. However, last season, the salary cap increased by more than $30 million.

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This gave teams a lot of additional room. The after effect of that was that players and their agents would start to demand for better pay. The result, non-quarterbacks are creeping past the $35 million mark and QBs such as Dak Prescott have now breached the $60 million barrier.

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There was a time when the NBA had astronomical contracts, and NFL players were not happy with what they were getting for all the pounding their bodies received. Now though, the trend seems to be shifting as ESPN’s Dan Graziano revealed this.

The NFL today informed teams that the 2025 per-team salary cap will fall in the range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million, way up from last year’s $255.4 million. Cap will have increased by more than $53 million over the last two years.

Dan Graziano wrote
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The final cap figure is not finalized as the league is still negotiating with the NFLPA on what the final number will be. This means, teams will again get anywhere between $22 – $26 million extra this season. That is a substantial increase that league executives did not anticipate.

Fans have jokes on incredible NFL salary cap number

Fans of the sport too were stunned as they expected the league to dial back on the percentage of increase. The economy was not great this past year. Many expected that to take a toll on the salary cap. However, fans now understand that the NFL’s income does not depend completely on the country’s economy.

The Taylor Swift effect is helping the NFL
The Taylor Swift effect is helping the NFL (Image via X)

The league keeps on showcasing the best entertainment for fans and the numbers confirm them. Fans also believe that Taylor Swift‘s continuous presence is helping the league rake in billions in revenue. Check out examples of such comments below.

Teams have seen a near $53 million increase over the past two seasons. If this trend continues, players could earn $70 million contracts soon. It could help the likes of Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold who are awaiting deals from their teams.

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This new salary cap could help their respective teams give out contracts that will be mutually beneficial. Outside of them, the Cincinnati Bengals could now give Ja’Marr Chase what he wants. Else there is the threat of them losing out on Joe Burrow in the future.