In the early stages of the 2024 league new year, we saw plenty of household NFL names get cut by their clubs in cap-saving moves in the offseason. This included former superstars such as Russell Wilson, David Bakhtiari, Mike Williams, Michael Thomas, and Tre’Davious White.
The regular season is still four months away, however, so there’s still plenty of time for even more big-named players to hit the open market.
So with that all said, let’s dive into the 10 biggest NFL names that are most likely to still get cut between now and Week 1.
Which NFL stars will be candidates to be cut this offseason?
Marshon Lattimore
At the start of the 2021 season, the New Orleans Saints handed All-Pro cornerback Marshon Lattimore a five-year contract extension worth $97.6 million.
The deal made perfect sense at the time. The Saints were coming off a fourth straight NFC South division title and were still viewed as a playoff contender. But after three straight non-postseason appearances, it’s gut-check time in New Orleans.
According to OvertheCap.com, cutting Lattimore this offseason would bring a $22.648 million dead money charge. But consider this: They’d save $20.758 million against the cap in 2025 and an additional $21..258 million for 2026.
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From a long-term perspective, cutting Lattimore is the right move for a team that has to perform miraculous salary cap gymnastics every single offseason.
And if you’re part of the “Saints should be trying to win now club”, they just used a second-round pick on former Alabama star Kool-Aid McKinstry. And the Saints’ D has been a top-10 unit in each of the last two years, even though Lattimore has played a combined 17 games during that period.
Not saying the Saints SHOULD release Lattimore. We’re just saying, don’t be overly surprised if they decide to pull the cord now. This team has to start cutting bait with high-salaried players, and Lattimore’s release would provide much-needed breathing room for their 2025 and 2026 payrolls.
Miles Sanders
After a career year with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, Sanders signed a four-year deal with the Carolina Panthers worth $25.4 million.
Carolina’s goal was to bolster the weaponry around pending first overall pick Bryce Young, so of course it made sense to add a star running back in the midst of his prime on a reasonable long-term deal. Or so they thought.
Sanders had an awful first year with Carolina, recording only 432 rushing yards and one touchdown. You can blame the Panthers’ run-blocking all you want, but then why did Chuba Hubbard replace Sanders as the RB1 and go off for 902 rushing yards and five touchdowns?
Hmm….
Carolina used a second-round pick on Texas Longhorns running back Jonathan Brooks, regarded as the best RB prospect of the 2025 class. They also signed former Seattle Seahawks star Rashaad Penny to bolster the depth at running back.
So either Hubbard or Brooks will be the RB1 in 2024, with the other being the RB2. If you’re Carolina, may as well cut your losses and release Sanders, knowing you won’t get much use out of him.
Cutting Sanders would carry a dead money charge of $7.495 million. But they’d also clear $6.7 million and $5.5 million in cap space for 2025 and 2026, respectively. So it’s worth pulling the cord this NFL offseason.
Kenny Clark
Clark has been a mainstay on the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line since he arrived as a rookie back in 2016. Like a fine wine, Clark has only gotten better with age — earning his third Pro Bowl nod last season after tallying a career-high 7.5 sacks.
The Packers would love to keep Clark in an ideal world, but the salary cap means an “ideal world” doesn’t exist in the NFL. The Pack are loaded with playmakers in the front seven — namely Preston Smith, Devonte Wyatt, Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Quay Walker, and rookie Edgerrin Cooper.
Green Bay needs to make room for its youngsters – Wyatt especially after spending his first two years in a rotational role.
Releasing Clark would save the Packers a whopping $17 million in cap space for 2024 — allowing GM Brian Gutekunst to make another big move or two that would address other positions of need.
Clark is also scheduled to become a free agent after the 2024 season, and the Packers are unlikely to extend him long-term.
Yes, the Packers are a better team with Clark on the field. But the NFL is a business, and Green Bay might find it tough to pass on the opportunity to clear $17 million by releasing the pricy veteran this offseason.
Cam Robinson
In the 2022 offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars handed Robinson a three-year contract extension worth $54 million. Though Robinson has been a longtime mainstay on the Jags’ o-line, it’s rather obvious that he’s on borrowed time now in Duval County.
Jacksonville used their 2023 first-round pick on Anton Harrison, and 2021 second-round pick Walker Little looks ready for a starting role after seeing increased playing time last year.
And oftentimes, a player’s release has more to do with the money than the player himself. Robinson is a GOOD offensive tackle, not a GREAT ONE. And if Jacksonville were to cut him now, they would save a whopping $17.279 million against the salary cap.
Robinson himself might be keen to accept a release so that he can be a starting tackle elsewhere.
Kadarius Toney
There are two ways to look at Kadarius Toney’s run with the Kansas City Chiefs so far.
Do you look at him as the two-time Super Bowl champion who was also the unsung hero in their SB 57 victory against the Eagles? Or do you view him as the guy who struggled with drops all of last year, making him the main source of frustration in KC?
In some ways, it’s miraculous the Chiefs won the Super Bowl again with that wide receiver core. But GM Brett Veach ensured that Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t have to deal with such issues again by signing Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown and drafting Texas speedster Xavier Worthy.
Since Toney is on his rookie contract, releasing him would only cost KC $2.530 million in dead money. To us, that seems like a way better deal than trying — AGAIN — to unlock the potential of the former New York Giants first-round pick.
Toney hasn’t cut it at the NFL yet, but if the Chiefs do release him, several clubs will want to take a flier on the speedster who has yet to put it all together. That is, of course, if KC decides to cut bait now.
Bailey Zappe
In a surprise move, the New England Patriots waived Zappe at the start of the 2023 season. He was brought back soon after, however, and wound up replacing Mac Jones as the starting QB mid-season.
Zappe saw ten game appearances in 2023. He relieved Jones in four of them and was the starter for the other six, throwing six touchdowns against nine interceptions on a lousy Patriots’ squad.
The Patriots wound up sending Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and new GM Eliot Wolf added not one…but three new QBs this offseason.
The Pats used the third overall pick on North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Even if he’s not ready, they brought back old friend and journeyman Jacoby Brissett on a one-year deal to be the bridge QB.
New England also used a sixth-round pick on Tennessee star Joe Milton III. The Pats don’t need four quarterbacks, so of course Zappe has to be the odd man out over Brissett and the two rookies.
Zappe had brief moments of brilliance in his rookie 2022 season while Jones was injured, so there would be some value if he hit the open market this NFL offseason. And for Zappe’s sake, that’s the best-case scenario at this stage.
Robert Woods
The Houston Texans have a good problem here: Too many offensive weapons – but only one football — for CJ Stroud to distribute the ball to.
Last year, Houston signed two-time 1,000-yard wide receiver Robert Woods to a two-year deal worth $15.25 million. The former Los Angeles Rams star struggled to find targets behind Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz, however, and he finished with just 40 receptions for 426 yards and a touchdown.
This was the worst statistical season of Woods’ career. And now that the Texans have added superstar Stefon Diggs via trade with the Buffalo Bills, why should they bother keeping Woods and his hefty $9.7 million cap hit on the books for 2024?
Releasing Woods would carry a $4.75 million dead money charge but also open up $4.955 million in cap space. Truth be told, it only makes sense for the Texans to release Woods instead of keeping him on the roster for another year — especially at his salary.
Taysom Hill
The Swiss Army Knife has been one of football’s most intriguing and exciting players to watch since he broke into the league as a 27-year-old rookie back in 2017.
Hill has done it all as a runner, receiver, and occasional quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He’s 7-2 as a starting QB but has been especially dangerous as a runner, with 2,159 rushing yards and 27 rushing scores.
But releasing Hill would save the cap-strapped Saints $8.5 million. For a team that always finds itself tens of millions of dollars over the cap, that may be a tough sum of potential savings to pass on.
The Saints are retooling their offense around new OC Klint Kubiak. Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, Rashid Shaheed, Alvin Kamara, and Jamaal Williams are a nice set of weapons for Derek Carr, so Hill’s role could very well reduce with Pete Carmichael no longer calling the offense.
And if the Saints were to release Hill this NFL offseason, he’d have no shortage of potential suitors. A reunion with Sean Payton in Denver, anyone?!
James Bradberry
To be honest, it’s rather surprising that the Eagles haven’t cut nor traded Bradberry given a) his awful 2023 season and b) the fact they’ve loaded up on stud defensive backs.
After earning a second-team all-pro nod in 2022 and after helping the Eagles to a Super Bowl 57 appearance, Bradberry signed a three-year contract extension worth $38 million.
Bradberry went from hero to almost, well, a zero in 2023. Per Pro Football Reference, he allowed 740 passing yards in coverage and yielded a ridiculous 114.3 opposing passer rating when targeted. Pro Football Focus also gave Bradberry a lackluster 56.6 grade for the season.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman brought back old friend CJ Gardner-Johnson in free agency to bolster the secondary. And he somehow came away with two of the top three cornerback prospects — Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean — on draft weekend.
Cutting Bradberry wouldn’t save Philly any money against the salary cap this year, but the dead money charge would be minimal at $4.305 million – with $4.724 million in cap savings on the books for 2025.
So yeah, it wouldn’t at all be a shock if the Eagles decided to cut the former Pro Bowler as part of their massive shakeup in the secondary.
Treylon Burks
The Tennessee Titans baffled everyone when they traded superstar wideout AJ Brown to the Eagles at the 2022 NFL Draft. Then-GM Jon Robinson thought he could replace Brown by using the No. 18 pick on Arkansas product Treylon Burks.
Unfortunately, various injuries have limited Burks to 22 games over his first two NFL campaigns. Burks hasn’t been a difference-maker whatsoever, with only 49 receptions for 665 yards and one touchdown during that period.
To date, Burks has had just one 100-yard game. He has gone north of 70 yards only twice, too.
Well, Titans GM Ran Carthon and new head coach Brian Callahan weren’t here when the Titans drafted Burks. Speaking of Carthon, he just signed star wide receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency — giving Will Levis another weapon to accommodate DeAndre Hopkins before adding ANOTHER former 1,000-yard receiver in Tyler Boyd.
So Burks is now the No. 4 receiver AT BEST on Tennessee’s depth chart. And we haven’t even mentioned running back Tony Pollard.
If Carthon and Callahan don’t view Burks as a fit in the offense, why keep him around? His role will obviously be minimal at best, and the Titans may find kindness in their hearts to give Burks a much-needed fresh start.
