5 NFL teams who should mostly sit out 2025 free agency, from the stable (Ravens!) to the rebuilding (Saints)

2025 will be another record setting year for NFL spending. But it’s also not a bad time to deal with a salary cap crunch.

A record cap between $277.5 and $281.5 million will add more cash to this spring’s free agent frenzy, even with a modest crop of available veterans set to hit the open market. Some teams will find the missing pieces that push them from early vacations to extended postseason runs. Others will get caught up in bidding wars for players who fail to move their needle and wallow in disappointment — and roster-limiting salary cap limitations.

The five teams below can avoid that latter trap by taking a low-key approach to this year’s free agent crop. Some by necessity thanks to years of salary cap mismanagement (hello, New Orleans Saints). Others have the talent to wait out the market, scoop up a few bargains and set their sights on the 2025 NFL Draft.

Let’s talk about it.