Additional money was allocated for 2025 following an agreement between the CFL and CFLPA.
According to the note received 3DownNationThe Triple-A League and its players' association agreed that each club would receive an additional $50,000 to spend in 2025, which is not included in the salary cap calculation. In other words, each team has an extra $50,000 to spend above the current salary cap of $6.062 million.
CFL teams have recently placed players on “load management” designations for recreational purposes after earning playoff berths or deactivating athletes after being eliminated from postseason contention. The moves led the CFLPA to file a grievance because the union wants salary cap money to be paid to players who are on game-day rosters and playing football.
It is important to know that the salaries of players placed on the one-game injured list count toward the salary cap, while athletes who are on the injured list for a full six games or longer do not count toward the salary cap.
With that in mind, the agreed upon result means that franchises across the CFL have collectively committed $450,000 toward player salaries that will not count toward the team's $6,062 salary cap in 2025. This is intended as a one-time solution where teams agree to abide by collective bargaining rules in the future.
In February 2025 The CFL salary cap jumped from $400,000 to $6,062,365 million. due to increased league revenue. This growth occurred due to the revenue distribution model of the CBA. However, a one-time salary cap waiver for each team was not obtained in 2025 due to the increase in cash. These calculations will be made after the end of the year.
Under the terms of the CBA, the CFL has established an initial baseline for certain league revenues through the 2022 season that takes into account revenues from the league itself and its nine franchises. If earnings exceed the initial base level in subsequent seasons, the increase may be added to the following year's salary cap at the discretion of the players' association.
For every dollar of revenue above the base level, a quarter is expected to be allocated to the salary cap, which is then divided equally among all nine teams. However, the cap increase is not cumulative and the formula result must exceed the previously established minimum increase per team for it to take effect – $125,000 in 2025.
3DownNation has sought comment from the CFL and CFLPA. This article will be updated if any organization submits a statement.
