Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills get amazing news from the NFL before free agency kicks off

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Jon Helmkamp | Last updated Feb 19, 2025 6:04 PM ET

In recent years, largely due to new media contracts, the salary cap has grown at a faster rate than it historically has. Preparing for the new league year, the NFL has set the salary cap for 2025, and the recent trends are set to continue.

Jumping from last year's $255.4 million to a range of $277.5 million and $281.1 million, the salary cap is set to have increased by over $50 million in only two years. Clearly, the league is doing fine, and Brandon Beane and the Bills find themselves in an even better than expected situation to bolster the roster for the 2025 season.

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

The new salary cap is going to be higher than what was expected, giving Beane some extra wiggle room to make the necessary changes, namely along the defensive line and in the secondary.

Buffalo still finds themselves over the cap, by a range of $8.1 to $12.1 million, so there's still work to be done. One move that seems to make sense would be the release of Von Miller, who currently has no money guaranteed on his contract, and a release would free up over $8 million in cap space.

That'll be a good start, but other moves will need to happen. Namely, there are extensions that need to be handed out, with some candidates including Josh Allen, Connor McGovern, Greg Rousseau, Khalil Shakir, and James Cook, who has made his desired for a new contract known.

Restructures will also be on the table, as will potential trades to clear some room. Regardless, it doesn't look likely that Buffalo will be poised to be big spenders in free agency, instead turning to their 10 draft picks, including three in the first two rounds, of the 2025 NFL Draft to make an impact on their roster, and on their 2025 Super Bowl chances.