The NFL officially announced its salary cap number for the 2025 season on Thursday. The new cap will be worth over $279.2 million, which marks a $25 million boost from 2024, and an over $50 million jump since 2023.
For the New England Patriots, the news this week from the NFL Combine, has mainly been about what player the team will select with the No. 4 pick in the draft. However, the increase in overall cap space leaves the Patriots with about $127.7 million in available cap money to spend in free agency come Mar. 12 (via Over The Cap).
So, the team will have significant resources to use on impact players in free agency. The team obviously has various holes and many key positions to fill.
One name that has recently been linked to the team is tackle Ronnie Stanley. Currently, he is the No. 1 ranked free agent tackle in the 2025 class and the No. 8 ranked free agent overall, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bringing in a player like Stanley would certainly bolster New England’s limited offensive line. But, there are other available players at positions like wide receiver that would also help the Patriots.
Regardless of which position they end up focusing on in free agency, the team should undoubtably use their cap room to bring someone in. Not only does it help the lineup, it also puts less pressure to find the right talent in the draft.
The Patriots have a ton of assets in the off-season, and could trot out a better lineup, but it comes down to if the front office decides that they have to do everything possible to improve for the 2025 NFL season.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.