Detroit Lions Learn 2025 Salary Cap Range

Official cap number expected to be revealed next week.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, general manager Brad Holmes, owner Sheila Ford Hamp and president Rod Wood. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions and the rest of the league have learned more vital information regarding the salary cap for the 2025 season. 

According to reports Wednesday, the NFL informed teams that the salary cap per team will fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million, with an exact number yet to be announced. A memo sent to teams across the league indicates that the exact number will be finalized next week. 

The cap space allotted for teams continues to rise, as the mark was set at $255.4 million last year. 

In the past two seasons, the salary cap has increased by more than $53 million. The large jump from last season to the upcoming campaign is based on the fact that 2024 player cost and salary cap amount were both reduced by $10 million per team. This was due to a $9 million adjustment and incremental $1 million being added to Performance Based Pay. 

The Lions could have anywhere between $49,854,933 and $53,854,933 depending on where the cap officially falls. Per OverTheCap, the Lions currently have the 10th-most salary-cap space. 

OverTheCap's current estimation is for the cap to be placed at $279.5 million, which would give the Lions $51,854,933 in space.

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 (@DanGrazianoESPN) February 19, 2025

New England currently leads the NFL in salary-cap space, as it will have over $120 million available to spend. Las Vegas is second with anywhere from around $97 million to $101 million. The New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills comprise the bottom three teams in the league in cap space. 

During a recent interview with Local 4 News, general manager Brad Holmes explained that the offseason is much more time consuming for people in his position than the regular season.

“I know it’s called the offseason cause football games aren’t being played, but for a general manager the offseason is a lot more busier than during the season," Holmes said. "It’s a lot more hectic, it’s a lot more time consuming because you’ve got free agency and you have the draft. You have a lot of other things. You’re getting ready for the offseason program to get started, you have the Combine.

"It’s a lot going on, but it’s purely the player acquisition process. It’s just constant meetings, constant film," Holmes continued. "Just from the morning til night, and it’s a constant grind through the process. You have to be very organized and make sure that your process is very clean and ready. You just kind of stick to your process, trust it and what we always try to do is evolve our process.”

Detroit has several key pending free agents who could benefit from the increased salary-cap space, including cornerback Carlton Davis, right guard Kevin Zeitler and linebacker Derrick Barnes.

The increase in cap space is a positive development for Detroit, which has already doled out several hefty extensions and may have more on the horizon.