2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

This week started with a point on the NFL calendar that has been important for decades. Although teams have not needed to wait until June to make their most expensive cuts in many years, they do not see the funds from post-June 1 designations until that point.

With June 1 coming and going, a fourth of the league has seen the savings from post-June 1 releases arrive. That has affected the NFL’s cap-space hierarchy. Here is how every team stands (via OverTheCap) following June 2 changes:

  1. New England Patriots: $67.34MM
  2. San Francisco 49ers: $53.49MM
  3. Detroit Lions: $40.12MM
  4. New York Jets: $39.8MM
  5. Las Vegas Raiders: $36.16MM
  6. Arizona Cardinals: $32.11MM
  7. Dallas Cowboys: $32.11MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $31.88MM
  9. Seattle Seahawks: $31.21MM
  10. Tennessee Titans: $30.16MM
  11. Green Bay Packers: $28.94MM
  12. Cincinnati Bengals: $27.08MM
  13. Los Angeles Chargers: $26.83MM
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $26.63MM
  15. Jacksonville Jaguars: $26.54MM
  16. Philadelphia Eagles: $25.79MM
  17. New Orleans Saints: $22.62MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $21.13MM
  19. Indianapolis Colts: $20.09MM
  20. Los Angeles Rams: $19.44MM
  21. Baltimore Ravens: $18.95MM
  22. Carolina Panthers: $18.69MM
  23. Minnesota Vikings: $18.49MM
  24. Cleveland Browns: $18.2MM
  25. Houston Texans: $16.3MM
  26. Denver Broncos: $16.23MM
  27. Chicago Bears: $14.76MM
  28. Miami Dolphins: $13.81MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $10.75MM
  30. Atlanta Falcons: $5.02MM
  31. New York Giants: $3.82MM
  32. Buffalo Bills: $1.69MM

The Jets saw their situation change the most from post-June 1 designations, as $13.5MM became available to the team after its Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Mosley cuts. Teams have up to two post-June 1 designations at their disposals. Five clubs — the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Eagles and 49ers — used both slots. Only three other teams made a post-June 1 cut before that seminal date. The eight that made these moves will have dead money split between 2025 and 2026.

Baltimore used the cost-defraying option to release Marcus Williams and Justin Tucker, while Cleveland — in Year 4 of the regrettable Deshaun Watson partnership — used it to move on from Juan Thornhill and Dalvin Tomlinson. As the Eagles’ option bonus-heavy payroll included two hefty bonus numbers for Darius Slay and James Bradberry, the reigning Super Bowl champions released both 30-something cornerbacks. Together, Slay and Bradberry will count more than $20MM on Philadelphia’s 2026 cap sheet. As for this year, though, the Browns, Eagles, Ravens and 49ers respectively saved $9.85MM, $9.4MM, $6.3MM, $6.4MM and $5.6MM, according to Spotrac.

The Jaguars made a mid-offseason decision to release Gabe Davis, doing so not long after trading up to draft Travis Hunter — with the plan to primarily play him at wide receiver — at No. 2 overall. Off-field issues, coupled with a down 2024 season, made Tucker expendable — after the Ravens drafted Tyler Loop in Round 6. The Vikings moved off Garrett Bradbury‘s contract and will replace him with free agency addition Ryan Kelly, while Mason lasted two seasons paired with C.J. Stroud‘s rookie deal. The 49ers made it known early they were moving on from Javon Hargrave, while 2024 trade addition Maliek Collins also exited the team’s D-tackle room.

Derek Carr‘s retirement being processed Tuesday also changed the Saints’ funding. The team will spread the dead money ($50.13MM) across two years. Even with the number being reduced this year, the Saints will be hit with the second-highest single-player dead money hit (behind only the Broncos’ Russell Wilson separation) in NFL history as a result of the Carr exit. The Saints will only be responsible for $19.21MM of that total in 2025. As they did with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox‘s retirements last year, the Eagles will also process Brandon Graham‘s hit this way.

Eight of this year’s post-June 1 releases remain in free agency. The Patriots added Bradbury to replace the now-retired David Andrews, while the Vikings scooped up Hargrave. As the Steelers await Rodgers’ decision, they added two other post-June 1 releases in Slay and Thornhill. Tomlinson joined the Cardinals not long after his Browns release.

Cardinals Place CB Sean Murphy-Bunting On NFI List

MAY 27: A knee injury will send Murphy-Bunting to the NFI list, Jonathan Gannon said. The former Buccaneers and Titans cornerback needed to have surgery to repair the malady, which occurred away from the Cardinals’ facility (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban).

MAY 22: Sean Murphy-Bunting has landed on the reserve/non-football injury list, per the transactions wire. As a result, the Cardinals corner will miss the entire 2025 campaign.

Murphy-Bunting began his career with the Buccaneers, and he made 36 starts during his time in Tampa Bay (although only five of those came during his final year with the team). That spell was followed by a one-year Titans pact, and the former second-rounder returned to full-time starting duties. His Tennessee performance resulted in a much stronger free agent market.

The Cardinals inked Murphy-Bunting to a three-year, $22.5MM deal last March. $17.39MM of that figure consisted of guarantees, including the entirety of the 27-year-old’s 2025 base salary ($7.7MM). This news will leave Arizona without a first-team option at the cornerback spot after Murphy-Bunting started all 15 of his appearances last year. He notched three interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles along the way, and the Cardinals will be tasked with replacing that production this season.

Arizona has finished mid-pack against the pass over each of the two years with Jonathan Gannon in place as head coach and Nick Rallis as defensive coordinator. Murphy-Bunting delivered positives and negatives in terms of coverage in 2024; the Central Michigan product allowed a passer rating of 84.1 as the nearest defender (the second-lowest of his career) but also surrendered a 70.7% completion percentage (the second-highest of his career). His attention will now turn to recovery in advance of the 2026 season, in which none of his base salary is guaranteed.

The Cardinals have made a number of draft investments at the cornerback spot in recent years. That includes Garrett Williams in the third round in 2023; after seeing his snap share jump to 76% last season, another notable workload can be expected for the Syracuse product. Arizona then added Max Melton and Elijah Jones on Day 2 of last year’s draft, and the team double-dipped once again (Will JohnsonDenzel Burke) in April.

A number of options will therefore be in place for the Cardinals as they look to replace Murphy-Bunting internally. Taking another step forward and reaching the postseason in Year 3 of the regime led by Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort will require further improvement on defense (and other areas), though, and this news represents a blow. If Arizona seeks an outside addition at the CB spot, one will certainly be feasible given the team’s $32MM in cap space.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/27/25

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

We learned last week that the Cardinals were moving on from DL Ben Stille, and we’ve now got some clarity on his direct replacement on the roster. The team has signed Patrick Jenkins, an undrafted rookie out of Tulane. The defensive lineman got a look at Saints rookie minicamp but left without an offer. His showing at Tulane included 13 sacks and 28 tackles for loss.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/22/25

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Miami Dolphins

In addition to placing Sean Murphy-Bunting on the reserve/non-football injury list today, the Cardinals moved on from Ben Stille. Despite only spending three seasons in the NFL, Stille has true journeyman status, with the defensive lineman spending time with the Dolphins, Browns, Cardinals (twice), and Buccaneers. The 27-year-old got into six total games last season, compiling four tackles and one sack.

William Bradley-King joined the Dolphins practice squad last August and spent the entire year there. He was retained via a reserve/futures contract back in January. A former seventh-round pick, Bradley-King has collected seven tackles and 0.5 sacks in four career games. He’ll be replaced on the roster by QB Brett Gabbert, the younger brother of Blaine Gabbert. Brett was invited to rookie minicamp last month after going undrafted in this year’s draft. The QB got into 53 games during his time at Miami (OH), tossing 80 touchdowns vs. 30 interceptions.

The Most Lucrative ILB Contract In Each Franchise’s History

The 49ers have again made Fred Warner the NFL’s highest-paid off-ball linebacker. The franchise did this in 2021 as well. A team that has employed All-Pro NaVorro Bowman and Hall of Famer Patrick Willis over the past 15 years, the 49ers have spent on the high end to fortify this position. Other clubs, however, have been far more hesitant to unload significant cash to staff this job. Although some contracts handed out recently created optimism about this stubborn market, franchises’ pasts here do not depict a trend of paying second-level defenders.

Excluding rookie contracts and arranged by guaranteed money, here is (via OvertheCap) the richest contract each franchise has given to an off-ball ‘backer:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Milano’s first extension (in 2021) brought more in overall value and fully guaranteed money, but the 2023 pact provided more in total guarantees

Carolina Panthers

Shaq Thompson‘s 2019 extension brought a higher AAV ($13.54MM), but Kuechly’s included more in guarantees

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw‘s 2025 contract (three years, $31.5MM) brought a higher AAV but a lower guarantee

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Kenneth Murray‘s rookie contract (a fully guaranteed $12.97MM) narrowly eclipses this deal

Los Angeles Rams

Mark Barron‘s 2016 contract brought a higher AAV ($9MM) but a lower guarantee

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo; December 17, 2011: Five years, $48.5MM ($27MM guaranteed)

Robert Spillane‘s $11MM AAV leads the way at this position in New England, but the recently dismissed HC’s contract brought more guaranteed money

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Jamin Davis‘ fully guaranteed rookie contract brought a higher guarantee ($13.79MM)

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/21/25

Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Russell heads to Arizona after three seasons in Tampa Bay. So far, with his time in the league, Russell has improved upon his contributions as a player each season. In three years with the Bucs, Russell made four starts and logged 49 tackles.

Tasi arrives in Vegas via the league’s International Player Pathway program. The Australian native is a former rugby player of Samoan descent. The Raiders’ website lists him as a defensive lineman, but Tashan Reed of The Athletic noted that he was being utilized on offense today, as well.

NFC West Notes: Rams, Kittle, Hawks, Cards

Tyler Higbee has been the Rams‘ top tight end for many years, dating back to the team’s separation from Gerald Everett in 2021. Higbee, however, is now in Year 10 and coming off a three-game season. The Rams have attempted to install an heir apparent on multiple occasions, most notably failing in an attempt to trade up for Brock Bowers last year. Los Angeles then was tied to an effort to move up for Colston Loveland last month, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler indicates the team did discuss trades with teams holding top-10 picks.

Once Loveland went to the Bears at 10, the Rams regrouped and traded down, picking up a 2026 first-rounder (from the Falcons) to do so. Upon leaving Round 1, however, the Rams eyed the next wave of tight ends in this draft. Both Mason Taylor (LSU) and Terrance Ferguson (Oregon) were on the team’s radar, per Fowler, who notes Ferguson was rated higher despite Taylor going to the Jets four spots earlier. The Rams have Ferguson (591 receiving yards in 2024) readying to become the Higbee heir apparent.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • Ferguson is unlikely to unseat George Kittle as the NFC West’s top tight end anytime soon, as the 49ers extended their All-Pro dynamo recently. San Francisco’s four-year, $76.4MM deal includes $35MM guaranteed at signing. Beyond fully guaranteed money in 2025 and ’26, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes $2MM of Kittle’s 2027 pay ($17.15MM) is locked in at signing. The 49ers have also dived into the option bonus game, which will help keep Kittle’s cap hits under $19MM until 2029. Kittle can unlock $5MM more in 2027 guarantees by being a 2026 Pro Bowler or landing on the All-Pro first or second team that year; reaching a number of statistical benchmarks that year also could allow Kittle to cash in on that $5MM 2027 bump, Florio adds.
  • Sam Darnold‘s three-year, $100.5MM Seahawks contract became classified as a pay-as-you-go pact, and ESPN’s Brady Henderson provided an important detail here. Seattle gave Darnold a $15MM roster bonus, but it is not due until February 13 — five days after Super Bowl LX. The Seahawks can cut bait during that window, reminding of the Raiders’ 2023 Derek Carr divorce, if the Darnold partnership does not pan out. Seattle would still pick up a $25.6MM dead money hit (due to signing bonus proration) by cutting Darnold after one season.
  • DC Aden Durde pushed for Rylie Mills in Round 5 (via the pick obtained in the Sam Howell trade), but the Seahawks will wait a bit to see the Day 3 D-lineman in action. A torn ACL sustained in December is expected to keep the Notre Dame product out until at least midseason, John Schneider said (via Henderson). A late-season return is also in play for a player who will be more of a long-term option in Seattle.
  • Not rostering a fullback in many years, the Seahawks had planned to add one to work in Klint Kubiak‘s offense. They did so in the draft, as Schneider confirmed (via Henderson) Alabama tight end Robbie Ouzts — a fifth-round pick — will begin his career at fullback. The 274-pound SEC product will compete with Brady Russell, who has played 26 Seahawks games (zero starts) since arriving in September 2023.
  • A former South Carolina defensive back, Landon Grier made an early foray into the NFL scouting ranks. The Cardinals hired him straight out of college to be a scouting assistant. The son of Dolphins GM Chris Grier, Landon is not expected back with the Cards in 2025, with InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton noting the younger Grier is on track to return to the college ranks for a personnel role.
  • The 49ers are also parting ways with a scouting staffer, with Stratton adding Michael Zyskowski is moving on after three years with the franchise. Late spring regularly serves as a point teams reshuffle scouting staffs, as contracts usually run through the draft in an effort to ensure continuity ahead of the event.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/25

The following 2025 draft picks signed their rookie contracts today:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/25

We saw a busy day of 2025 NFL Draft pick signings today. Here are the mid- to late-round picks who inked their four-year rookie deals:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/25

Here are the minor NFL transactions to close out the week:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Received roster exemption (international player): OL Valentin Senn

Atlanta Falcons

  • Received roster exemption (international player): K Lenny Krieg
  • Waived: DT Junior Aho

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Received roster exemption (international player): S Dante Barnett

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Waived (with failed physical designation): WR Jeff Foreman

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

  • Received roster exemption (international player): P Oscar Chapman

New York Jets

  • Received roster exemption (international player): G Leander Wiegand

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Dyson was cut from the team after news that running back Jonathon Brooksplacement on the physically unable to perform list would, in fact, still count him against the 90-man roster limit. They initially were told by the league that he would not count, but the updated guidance today necessitated that they lose a man.

Jackson joins Seattle’s undrafted free agent rookie class after they announced their 17 signees almost a week ago. A successful rookie minicamp tryout led to him securing a contract.

Similarly, Bentley, for whatever reason was also announced separately from the Colts’ UDFA class, even though the class was announced only a few hours before his signing. The 24-year-old hasn’t been a lead back since his 2020 season at SMU, but in three years apiece at SMU and Ole Miss, Bentley never averaged below five yards per carry in a season.

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