The salary cap limit for the Indianapolis Colts and the rest of the NFL will take a big jump once again in 2025.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, the 2025 NFL salary cap will fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million this season.
For some context, last year’s salary cap was at $255.4 million, creating a year-to-year increase between $22.1 million and $26.1 million in additional cap space.
Graziano adds that over the last two NFL seasons, the salary cap has increased by $53 million since 2023.
The final salary cap number for 2025 still has to be finalized.
Prior to this recent salary cap range being reported, Over the Cap was projecting that this year’s salary cap would be at $272.5 million. At that figure, the Colts were projected to have $28.24 million in cap space, which ranked as the 18th-most in the NFL.
However, now the Colts should have anywhere from $33.2 million to $37.2 million, depending on where the final salary cap number falls.
Since every NFL team will be getting this salary cap bump, while the Colts’ cap space is increasing, their spending power will remain the same, as they’ll continue to rank around the middle of the league in available cap space.
Like every other team, the Colts also have means for creating more room as well, whether that be through contract restructures or veteran cuts.
After calling his roster building approach in 2024 a “mistake,” Colts’ GM Chris Ballard wants to remedy that this offseason by infusing competition throughout the roster.
Presumably, that means seeing the Colts take a different and more active approach in free agency–although to what extent that happens is still an unknown.
“We’ve got to be better about making sure that we identify the right free agents that can help push this team to where it needs to go,” said Ballard.
If the goal is to add competition throughout the roster, then the Colts have a number of different directions they could go.
However, when it comes to free agency, the cornerback and safety positions could be a priority for the Colts, given that Lou Anarumo’s scheme requires versatility and the ability to disguise coverages, two elements that may increase the value of having an experienced presence at those position groups.