The Atlanta Falcons have spent a lot of money these past two offseasons. After Terry Fontenot got the franchise out of financial ruin, he went on a spending spree these past two years and now has them teetering on the same line.
However, the Falcons' lack of cap space isn't as bad as things may look. They have plenty of ways to clear things up to make some significant, much-needed signings.
But here we will focus on the cap space of each NFC South team.
Comparing NFC South cap space for 2025
The order of cap space may surprise you (notwithstanding the Saints who are in their usual spot). The division winner has the most projected money for the new league year while the Falcons are third, according to Spotrac.
- Buccaneers: $40.8M
- Panthers: $24.1M
- Falcons: -$6.3M
- Saints: -$57.6M
Each of these teams will make moves to clear more space, especially the Falcons and Saints.
The NFC South doesn't have a team in the top half of the league—Bucs 17th, Panthers 21st, Falcons 28th, Saints 32nd. For a division that was arguably the worst in the league (again), that is surprising.
Looking at pending free agents, the Buccaneers and Saints will have the biggest decisions. Tampa has to make big decisions with Chris Godwin, Lavonte David, Ben Bredeson, and Greg Gaines. New Orleans is in a bigger pickle with the expiring contracts of Rashid Shaheed, Willie Gay Jr., Pete Werner, Chase Young, Juwan Johnson, and Paulson Adebo.
Atlanta can rest easy if they can reach an agreement with center Drew Dalman while Carolina can say the same by extending Shaq Thompson.
This will be an intriguing offseason for the NFC South, the division that annually underperforms. The Falcons need to finally take advantage of it by having a strong offseason.