Collective Bargaining Agreement News & Rumors

The NFL has officially set the 2025 salary cap at $279.2MM, a figure that will shape teams’ financial plans as they navigate the offseason.

The salary cap doesn’t just dictate how much money teams can spend; it also factors into the calculation of franchise and transition tags. For more than three decades, teams have been able to use a franchise or transition tag on one player during the offseason to retain them on a one-year deal. The value of the franchise tag is based on the top five salaries at each position, while the transition tag is calculated using the top 10 salaries at each position.

Teams have already been able to tag players since February 18, but now they know exactly how much that decision will cost. The Chiefs, for example, moved forward with placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith. That will cost them $23.4MM this year, though the two sides are expected to continue negotiations on a long-term extension.

Other teams who were considering tags – including the Vikings with Sam Darnold and the Dolphins with Jevon Holland – will now have exact numbers to work with. Here are those figures for the non-exclusive franchise tag (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero):

• Quarterback: $40.24MM
• Running back: $13.64MM
• Wide receiver: $23.96MM
• Tight end: $13.83MM
• Offensive line: $23.4MM
• Defensive end: $22.06MM
• Defensive tackle: $25.12MM
• Linebacker: $25.45MM
• Cornerback: $20.19MM
• Safety: $18.6MM
• Kicker/punter: $6.31MM

However, the new tag figures will not apply to players who were tagged last season, like the Bengals’ Tee Higgins. Those players can be tagged for 120% of last year’s salary. The Bengals are expected to use a second tag on Higgins, which would pay him $26.2MM in 2025. The rest of 2024’s tagged players all signed long-term extensions, making them ineligible for a tag this year.

Teams rarely use the exclusive franchise tag, which costs more than the non-exclusive tag as it prevents players from negotiating with other teams. The non-exclusive tag is more frequently used, which allows players to negotiate and sign offer sheets with other teams. The player’s previous team can then match that offer sheet to retain the player or decline to match and receive two first-round picks from the player’s new team. That process rarely plays out in full; instead, franchise tags typically lead to players signing long-term extensions with the team that tagged them.

The transition tag is similar to the non-exclusive tag in that it allows players to negotiate and sign offer sheets with other teams. The previous team maintains the right to match such offer sheets, but if they decline, they are not entitled to any draft pick compensation.

Here are the 2025 transition tag numbers:

Yesterday, the league informed teams of the 2025 salary cap ceiling ($279.2MM). Now, clarity has emerged regarding the fifth-year options for members of the 2022 draft class.

All teams will need to decide by May 2 to pick up or decline the 2026 option on players selected in the first round of that year. For the fifth year in a row, option values will be broken into tiers based on playing time and performance. Since the 2020 CBA, option years have been guaranteed in full.

The top tier consists of players who have been selected to two or more Pro Bowls (on the initial ballot) during the early stages of their careers. These figures also match the 2025 franchise tag values. Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, here is the position-by-position breakdown at that level:

• Quarterback: $40.24MM
• Running back: $13.64MM
• Wide receiver: $23.96MM
• Tight end: $13.83MM
• Offensive line: $20.99MM
• Defensive end: $23.4MM
• Defensive tackle: $25.12MM
• Linebacker: $25.45MM
• Cornerback: $20.19MM
• Safety: $18.6MM
• Kicker/punter: $6.31MM

The second tier applies to players who have one Pro Bowl on their resume and matches the value of 2025 transition tags. Here is how that groups shakes out financially:

• Quarterback: $35.38MM
• Running back: $11.07MM
• Wide receiver: $21.44MM
• Tight end: $11.71MM
• Offensive line: $21.27MM
• Defensive end: $19.87MM
• Defensive tackle: $20.85MM
• Linebacker: $20.86MM
• Cornerback: $17.6MM
• Safety: $15.03MM
• Kicker/punter: $5.73MM

Tier 3 consists of players who played at least 75% in two of their first three seasons, those who averaged at least a 75% snap share through three seasons or those who crossed the 50% snap barrier in each of their initial three campaigns. Those positions are broken down as such:

• Quarterback: $25.38MM
• Running back: $7.33MM
• Wide receiver: $16.82MM
• Tight end: $8.5MM
• Offensive line: $17.56MM
• Defensive end: $15.12MM
• Defensive tackle: $14.37MM
• Linebacker: $14.75MM
• Cornerback: $13.63MM
• Safety: $10.23MM
• Kicker/punter: $4.6MM

The fourth and final tier applies to players without a Pro Bowl nod and who do not meet the playing time criteria:

• Quarterback: $22.12MM
• Running back: $6.58MM
• Wide receiver: $15.49MM
• Tight end: $7.71MM
• Offensive line: $16.69MM
• Defensive end: $13.92MM
• Defensive tackle: $12.94MM
• Linebacker: $13.41MM
• Cornerback: $12.68MM
• Safety: $9.27MM
• Kicker/punter: $4.29MM

The NFL has reached an agreement with the NFLPA to make several changes to the league’s policies regarding substance abuse and performance-enhancing substances, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.

Modifications regarding banned non-performance-enhancing substances – termed substances of abuse – are more lenient and forgiving. For example, a positive THC test now requires 350ng/ml, more than double the previous amount of 150ng/ml.

When players test positive for a banned non-performance-enhancing substance, teams will no longer be notified which substance was detected. They will only be informed of the violation and the resulting punishment.

The scale of fines has also been reduced and restructured. Under the previous policy, fines were proportional to game paychecks, with half-game, whole-game, and two-game penalties for first, second, and third violations. Now, a first violation will result in a $15K fine, followed by $20k for a second violation and one game check for a third.

For performance-enhancing substances, new changes relate to testing time and reinstatement. Previously, players had to test within three hours of notification; now, if notified before team activities in the morning, they have to test before afternoon activities.

Suspended players no longer have to test negative for the performance-enhancing substance before reinstatement. Now, they can be reinstated as long as “the presence of a substance(s) provides no performance enhancing effect,” per an NFLPA memo.

The NFL’s emergency third quarterback rule will still exist this season, but not in the form the league intended. The NFLPA will block the updated rule from taking effect, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

This offseason’s update was set to allow teams an unlimited number of practice squad elevations for a third quarterback, effectively giving clubs a player they could continue to stash on the practice squad before moving him up to gameday rosters without using waivers. The union will stand in the way of this. Doing so at this juncture certainly stands to affect teams’ roster decisions, as clubs have until 3pm CT Tuesday to set 53-man rosters.

Since the 2020 CBA revamped the practice squad, clubs have three elevations per player at their disposals. That means a practice squad player can be elevated to a gameday roster up to three times; this allows teams to get around the waiver process for a bit. The NFL sought to have an emergency third quarterback be eligible for elevation throughout the season. This would have given teams flexibility regarding QB depth charts.

Instead, the union is seeking to prevent teams from stashing QBs on practice squads throughout a season, Pelissero adds. The rule will revert to its 2023 form, which came about because of the developments in the 2022 NFC championship game. The NFL reintroduced the emergency QB rule during the 2023 offseason, after the 49ers saw their two dressed QBs — Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson — each suffer injuries.

The rule’s 2023 form stipulated teams could designate their emergency passer 90 minutes before kickoff. Teams must have their QB3 on their 55-man gameday roster, meaning the Saturday-afternoon deadline for transactions during game weeks will likely involve some quarterback moves. Though, teams now must be more strategic in how they set up their depth charts, as they must factor waivers into the equation once again.

After a player is elevated three times, he must be signed to the active roster. Teams would then need to cut their QB3s in order to move them back to practice squads, injecting risk for clubs aiming to carry just two QBs on their active rosters during the regular season.

Clubs may now be more open to carrying three quarterbacks on their active rosters, which would affect depth at other positions. The union understandably wants to see reserve QBs potentially have upward mobility elsewhere, via waivers, rather than be trapped as a third-stringer on teams who have designated them as the emergency option.

Earlier this offseason, commissioner Roger Goodell made clear his vision for a revamped NFL calendar including 18 regular season games and the Super Bowl landing on Presidents’ Day weekend. With players understanding the support in place amongst most owners, talks between the league and union have begun.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said in a Monday press availability that discussions have taken place on an informal level regarding the expansion of the regular season schedule. That update comes as little surprise, given the expectation amongst players that negotiations could begin relatively soon. The current CBA runs through 2030, but amendments (including potential expansion of the season) could be worked out well before that point.

“We have talked at a very, very, very high level superficially, with a recognition… about, ‘Yeah, this is something that we should be talking about. And we should really kick the tires and understand what else goes into that decision-making process,’” Howell said (via Mark Maske of the Washington Post). “Where does the 18th game come from?

“I think the foregone conclusion is well, you just grab it, like, in what would otherwise be [preseason games] in August. You play it forward. But these are details that really need to be fleshed out. But, again, there are other economic, health and safety matters that also need to be clear to our members before there’s ever an agreement about an 18th game.”

Howell recently spoke about the issues which the NFLPA would attempt to land concessions on in exchange for expanding the season from 17 games to 18. Matters such as bye weeks, playing surfaces, travel (particularly with respect to international games) and overall compensation will be talking points once formal negotiations take place. Howell added upcoming meetings with players will provide further opportunity to discuss the core issues which will need to be addressed for an 18-game slate to be agreed to.

A number of owners have voiced support for such a move, including Jerry Jones. Many have considered CBA amendments allowing for an expanded schedule to be an inevitability after the 2020 agreement paved the way for a move from 16 games to 17. Stephen Jones, COO of the Cowboys, recently spoke on that point.

“I’m on the competition committee. We’ve talked about this knowing that it’s probably inevitable,” Jones said during an appearance on The Athletic’s Scoop City podcast. “I do know, at the end of the day, the players enjoy the compensation that’s coming their way, and they get, for the most part, half of every revenue dollar that comes through the door. So certainly getting paid well. We all know when we go to 18 games, our revenue’s going to jump, and certainly [that] should only help in terms of money available to pay players and get players the compensation.”

Plenty of time remains under the current terms of the CBA for negotiations to take place and a formal agreement to be reached. Given the eagerness shown on the part of the owners and Howell’s willingness to engage in early dialogue, though, it would not come as a surprise if traction were to be gained in the relatively near future.