The Eagles have a ballpark number on a potential salary cap after teams were notified on Friday that the expected salary cap range for the 2025 season would be $301 million per team. The NFL's new year is a little over 13 days away, with the league's free agency tampering period set to begin on March 9. Last February, the NFL announced a record-breaking salary cap of $279.2 million for the 2025 season, a significant increase from the 2024 cap of $255.4 million.
The cap will now rise by $22 million for all 32 NFL teams.
The NFL salary cap jumps to $301 million. Here’s what it means for the Eagles, free agency, extensions, and Howie Roseman’s offseason strategy.
What is the salary cap?
The salary cap is the total amount of money a team can spend on its players. It is calculated based on the league-wide revenue generated from TV deals, ticket sales, merchandise, etc.
Business is booming
The salary cap has increased by over $48 million over the last two years. In 2024, it was $255.4 million for each team, and in 2025, it was $279 million.
Eagles salary cap
$16,062,388
Dead Cap hit
$50,921,852
Final analysis
The Birds have 21 players who'll test the restricted or unrestricted free-agent market during the 2026 NFL offseason. Last offseason, the Eagles lost Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Isaiah Rodgers, and several other key free agents from the Super Bowl-winning team.
The Eagles are expected to let some of their key free agents walk this offseason, but they will try to bring back a few. The Eagles have gone two or three seasons with high-powered, elite, and expensive offensive players. That'll change, and several players could depart to help pay Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis, and others. Something to watch will be the status of star tight end Dallas Goedert's contract. Reed Blankenship is one of the biggest names on the list, and the defense could look drastically different if Nakobe Dean departs.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL salary cap 2026: How $301 million impacts the Philadelphia Eagles