NEW YORK — The NFL salary cap will be somewhere from $277.5 million to $281.5 million for the 2025 season, rising as much as $26 million from last year.
The bump is great news for the Cincinnati Bengals, who hope to sign 26-year-old receiver Tee Higgins to a long-term contract. It also means more money for the Minnesota Vikings to re-sign quarterback Sam Darnold, the Kansas City Chiefs to bring back offensive guard Trey Smith, or the Philadelphia Eagles to keep linebacker Zack Baun, who just helped them win the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.
It’s also significant for teams projected to be over the cap when the new league year begins in March: the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks. It might not be enough to save the New Orleans Saints, who are more than $50 million over the projected cap and by far in the worst shape heading into 2025.
The salary cap was set at $255.4 million in 2024, up more than $30 million from the previous year.
The projected range for 2025 is based on ongoing negotiations between the league and the NFL Players Association. The players’ union has the right to recover up to 50% of $9 million in deferred payments from 2024, with the remaining amount being recovered in 2026. The cap figure for 2025 is expected to be finalized next week.
Regardless of where it ends up, the NFL’s salary cap will have more than doubled since being $123 million in 2009. It was $188.2 million in 2019.
Brazil is next stop for well-traveled Chargers
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers will play their 2025 season opener in Brazil, making the franchise the first to play on five continents, the NFL announced Wednesday.
The Chargers’ opponent is expected to be announced in May, when the NFL’s regular-season schedule is released.
The Chargers will be the home team on Friday, Sept. 5, at Neo Quimica Arena in São Paulo. The same stadium hosted the Eagles and the Green Bay Packers in the opening week last season in the first NFL game in not only Brazil but all of South America.
The Chargers finished 11-6 in 2024 in their first season under coach Jim Harbaugh, reaching the postseason as a wild-card team out of the AFC West Division but losing 32-12 to the Houston Texans, the AFC South champions, in the opening round of the playoffs.
“It’s an honor to once again represent the NFL on an international stage,” said A.G. Spanos, the Chargers’ president of business operations. “It’s also a tremendous opportunity to help grow the game and bring the Chargers brand to millions of sports fans across Brazil and Latin America.”
Since 1976, the Chargers have played preseason or regular-season games in Berlin, London, Mexico City, Sydney and Tokyo.
In addition to their division foes — the Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders — the Chargers are scheduled to host the Eagles, Texans, Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders in 2025. Because the Super Bowl champions usually get to open the following season at home, the league is unlikely to schedule the Eagles for back-to-back trips to South America, while the Colts and Steelers are already scheduled to be the designated hosts of their own international games, with Indianapolis playing in Germany and Pittsburgh in Ireland.
The NFL has announced that seven regular-season games will be played internationally during the 2025 season.
Three will be played in London; the Browns and New York Jets are the designated home teams for the games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while the Jacksonville Jaguars will make their yearly appearance at Wembley Stadium.
The Steelers will host the league’s first regular-season game in Dublin, and the Miami Dolphins are the home team in Madrid, which will be the first regular-season game in Spain. Berlin will host the NFL’s Germany game for the first time.
The NFL can schedule up to eight international matchups beginning with this upcoming season.
Champs promote from within at offensive coordinator
PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles have promoted Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator after the departure of Kellen Moore, the team announced Wednesday.
Patullo joined the Eagles’ staff as their passing game coordinator in 2021 when coach Nick Sirianni was hired, and he became Philadelphia’s associate head coach in 2023.
Patullo takes over an offense that was second in the NFL in rushing under former coordinator Kellen Moore, who was hired as head coach of the Saints on Feb. 11, two days after the Eagles beat Kansas City 40-22 at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
“I can’t tell you that I make a decision without saying to Kevin first, ‘What do you think?’ That’s in everything. That’s in game, out of game, with scheduling, that’s with offensive stuff, that’s with game management stuff. I lean on him a lot,” Sirianni said.
Patullo’s first job in the NFL was as an offensive assistant and quality control coach with the Chiefs in 2007. He also worked for the Bills, Colts, Jets and Tennessee Titans before he joined the Eagles.
“Can’t be great without the greatness of others, and that is definitely a fact with Kevin Patullo, and I trust him with everything,” Sirianni said.
The Eagles, led by mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts and a strong offensive line, rushed for a franchise-record 3,048 yards last season. Running back Saquon Barkley gained 2,005 yards in the regular season and 499 in four playoff games to set the NFL single-season rushing record.