Andrew Berry has plenty of work to do before the new league year begins.
On Thursday, the NFL announced the 2025 salary cap at $279.2 million. It’s not the record-breaking $30+ million increase that happened last year, but it’s still a $23.8 million increase for teams league-wide.
The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to a 2025 salary cap of $279.2 million per club, per sources. Another record high. pic.twitter.com/9vm0TvzklU
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 27, 2025
The Cleveland Browns find themselves in a pickle this offseason when it comes to their salary cap. Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles for a second time, the team doesn’t have a quarterback for the 2025 season, and Myles Garrett is throwing trade requests out. With the team not contending like envisioned last year, now general manager Andrew Berry must find the right balance of getting back to contention, while possibly giving up on some players who have been here awhile, such as running back Nick Chubb and long snapper Charley Hughlett.
As it stands now, the Browns are $22.81 million over the salary cap, and have to get under that amount before the start of the new league year in March. The consensus is that the team will restructure Watson’s contract again, which will get them under the salary cap. However, in order to attempt to sign some lucrative free agents, Berry will have to get more creative in exploring other options.
Updated Salary Cap Numbers for Browns
NFL 2025 Salary Cap: $279.20 million
Browns’ Rollover/Adjustments from 2024: $41.95 million
Browns’ 2025 Adjusted Salary Cap: $279.20 million + $41.95 million = $321.15 million
Browns’ Top 51 Cap Total: $291.83 million
Browns’ Dead Money for 2025: $52.13 million
Browns’ Total Cap Spent for 2025: $291.83 million + $52.13 million = $343.96 million
When you subtract the two subtotals above ($321.15 million – $343.96 million), you can see how the “-$22.81 million in cap space” figure was derived.