The NFL salary cap does not allow teams to keep all of their core players together.
Even though the salary cap is increasing by just over $30 million this year, all 32 NFL GMs are still gonna have to make tough business decisions that include bidding farewell to some fan favorites.
With that said, here are 15 big-named NFL players who are likely to get cut this offseason.
Russell Wilson
The Denver Broncos made it clear back in Week 17 that they no longer viewed Wilson as the answer at quarterback. Wilson was benched for the final two games of 2023 because of his refusal to adjust the injury guarantees in his contract.
If Denver kept Wilson, they would owe him $39 million in guarantees for 2024 plus $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025. Simply put, the risk isn’t worth it.
Releasing Wilson would cost the Broncos $85 million in dead money over the next two years, but they seem comfortable going that route. Clearly, Sean Payton isn’t sold on Wilson and would rather handpick his next QB.
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Wilson showed tremendous improvement under Payton after a miserable first year with Nathaniel Hackett in 2022. But if the new head coach isn’t confident in you, then what can you do?
Wilson’s on his way out of Denver, but there promises to be a market for the nine-time Pro Bowler who can still play at a quality level.
Keenan Allen
There’s a case to be made that the Los Angeles Chargers should run it back with their current core with Jim Harbaugh now in the fold.
But why should the Bolts’ new regime keep together an aging, expensive and constantly underachieving core that hasn’t won anything yet? Which brings us to star wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Releasing the six-time Pro Bowler saves LA a whopping $23 million in cap space. Given his injury history and the fact he’ll be 32 years of age next season, cutting Allen feels like a rather easy call for Harbaugh and new GM Joe Hortiz.
Allen’s No. 13 will be retired in SoFi Stadium someday, but the Bolts could decide to get younger at wideout and use their precious cap dollars on other roster needs.
Mike Williams
Staying on the topic of Chargers star wideouts…
Like Allen, Williams has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. And though he’s widely viewed as the Chargers’ No. 1 receiver, Williams has never been a Pro Bowler — and he’s only hit 1,000-yards receiving twice.
The Bolts would save $20 million in cap space if they cut Williams. It’s unlikely that the Chargers would cut both Williams and Allen, but one of them has to go in a cap-saving move. If the front office chooses Allen, then Williams will most certainly be shown the door.
Joe Mixon
Many thought the Cincinnati Bengals would cut Mixon last year, but he wound up returning and repaid them with his fourth career 1,000-yard season.
But the Bengals are up against the cap this year and need to pay superstar wideout Tee Higgins. Cutting Mixon would save $6.1 million in cap space, and the Bengals know just how easy it is to find a quality running back at a bargain price.
With other roster holes that must be addressed, it makes sense for Cincinnati to cut Mixon and save up every penny they can at more important positions.
Khalil Mack
Don’t blame us for putting another Charger on the list. We’re not the ones who assembled such a pricey and aging roster that has put the Bolts in a cap bind.
Mack posted a career-high 17 sacks in 2023, but keep in mind six of those came in one game against the Las Vegas Raiders. And as great as Mack was in 2023, the Bolts would be foolish to bank on a 33-year-old performing at that kind of level again.
If the Chargers release Mack, they will clear a mammoth $23.25 million in cap space. Doing so would allow them to find younger and cheaper replacements to shore up the other holes on the defense.
Remember, the new Bolts’ regime wasn’t here when the team acquired Mack in a 2022 trade with the Chicago Bears. So don’t be shocked if they decide to cut the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year and rebuild the defense with their vision.
Hunter Renfrow
After a career year in 2021, the crafty slot receiver signed a two-year contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders worth $32 million.
It felt like a win-win of a deal at the time. Renfrow had set career highs across the board with 103 receptions for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns. Unfortunately, Renfrow’s production decreased right after Josh McDaniels arrived as the new head coach.
Over the next two seasons combined, Renfrow had a combined 61 receptions for 585 yards and two touchdowns. Clearly, the honeymoon phase is over between Renfrow and the Raiders.
Cutting Renfrow this offseason would save Las Vegas $8.21 million in cap space. Unless Renfrow were to agree to a restructured deal at a massive discount, it’s likely that he’ll find himself playing elsewhere next year.
C.J. Mosley
Mosley has been the heart-and-soul leader of the New York Jets’ defense since arriving in 2019. His on-field production is not the reason why he’s on this list, but rather the money the Jets could save by cutting the former Pro Bowler.
If the Jets cut Mosley before June 1, they’d clear up $11 million in cap space ahead of free agency. A post-June 1 cut would save them even more — a grand total of $17 million.
The Jets have to rebuild their atrocious offensive line and bring in new weapons to help Aaron Rodgers. As good as Mosley is, there’s a case to be made that the Jets need to sacrifice a little bit on defense to further bolster the offense around their franchise QB.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
MVS’ 2023 regular season was mostly defined by mind-numbing drops. To his credit, the speedy wideout made up for it by showing up with clutch play after clutch play in the Chiefs’ successful journey to a Super Bowl repeat.
But the Chiefs are playing with fire if they legitimately think they’ll manage to repeat with this same set of wide receivers. And as money as Valdes-Scantling was in the postseason, cutting him would save the Chiefs a whopping $12 million in cap space.
They’ll probably lose at least one of Chris Jones or L’Jarius Sneed, but cutting MVS helps their chances of keeping at least one. And with so many stud free agents available in this year’s class, the Chiefs have good reason to release Valdes-Scantling and bolster their receiving corps with less-burdensome contracts.
Kevin Byard
Ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, the banged-up Philadelphia Eagles acquired Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Terrell Edmunds plus 2024 fifth and sixth-round picks.
The two-time Pro Bowler struggled to find his footing following the trade. The renowned ball-hawker had one interception and only three pass defenses in 10 game appearances.
By cutting Byard, the Eagles would save $13 million in cap space. We know it was essentially only a half-season audition, but Byard’s lackluster play with the Eagles gives Howie Roseman good reason to cut his losses here and spend that money elsewhere.
But given the Eagles’ lack of depth in the secondary, there’s also a good possibility the Eagles would offer to bring him back at a discounted price. And if Byard wants to ring-chase, why not Philly?
Michael Thomas
It’s quite surprising that the New Orleans Saints have held onto Thomas for this long. Surely, this has to be the end of the line…right?
The Saints brought Thomas back on a restructured deal in 2023, hoping he’d stay healthy and form chemistry with Derek Carr. But Thomas missed seven games and finished with only 39 receptions for 448 yards and one touchdown.
Remember, Thomas missed all but seven games in 2020 plus the entire 2021 season. And he was limited to three games during the 2022 campaign.
At what point do the cap-strapped Saints realize he’s not able to stay healthy anymore, and that his All-Pro days are well past him?
Cutting Thomas post-June 1 would save New Orleans $1.21 million against the cap. It’s not much, but every dollar matters for a team that’s in massive cap trouble every year.
Jamal Adams
Adams was a beast in his first season with the Seattle Seahawks, racking up 9.5 sacks in just 12 games during the 2020 campaign. That mark, by the way, remains a single-season sacks record for a defensive back.
But injuries and porous production have made the Adams trade a failure for Seattle post-2020. He has played in just 22 total games over the past three years, failing to record a single sack while getting lit up like a Christmas tree time and time again in coverage.
Adams’ struggles have been a key reason why Seattle keeps churning out one of the worst defenses in football. As such, it would be a massive surprise if he wound up staying in the Pacific Northwest in 2024.
If they release Adams post-June 1st, Seattle would save $17.122 million against the cap while taking on just under $9.8 million in dead money. Given the amount of defensive back depth in both free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft, Seattle likely won’t have any issue releasing Adams and finding better options at a much better price.
Michael Gallup
In a bit of a head-scratcher move, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones chose Gallup over Amari Cooper — trading the latter to the Cleveland Browns in the 2022 offseason. As for Gallup, he was curiously awarded a five-year extension worth $62.5 million.
Sure enough, Cooper is still putting up Pro Bowl numbers in Cleveland while Gallup continues to carry a burdensome contract. The oft-injured Gallup has been held to under 40 receptions and less than 500 yards receiving in each of the last three years now.
By cutting Gallup post-June 1, the always-cap-strapped Cowboys would clear $9.5 million in salary cap space. With Brandin Cooks arriving and taking over as the new No. 2 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, Gallup’s release simply feels inevitable.
Shaquill Barrett
The 2019 NFL sacks leader played a vital part in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ short-lived success in the Tom Brady era. Without Barrett, the Bucs’ ferocious front-seven might not power the way to a Super Bowl 55 championship.
But the Buccaneers are getting old in the front seven there, and it may be time to move on from the two-time Super Bowl champion pass-rusher. Barrett, who racked up 37.5 sacks over his first three seasons in Tampa, has just 7.5 over the last two seasons.
Cutting Barrett would save the Buccaneers $4.9 million in cap space. It’s not a lot, but every little bit helps. And his release would open up a spot for a younger and less-injury-prone guy to take over on the edge there.
David Bakhtiari
Bakhtiari was among football’s best offensive tackles during his healthy days. Unfortunately, the former Pro Bowler just hasn’t been able to stay on the field over the last four years.
Bakthiari suffered a torn ACL late in the 2020 season and missed all but one game in 2021. He missed six games in 2022 and again suited up for just a single contest in 2023.
Bakhtiari will be 33 years of age next season, and the Green Bay Packers already have a quality offensive line in front of Jordan Love. Keeping Bakhtiari’s $40 million cap number just isn’t an option, and releasing him would save just a hair under $21 million in cap space.
There are no guarantees in football, but Bakhtiari’s release from Green Bay is close.
Tre’Davious White
It’s extremely unfortunate how much the injury bug has derailed White’s last few years. Before injuries piled up, he was often in the conversation for one of the NFL’s best wide receivers.
White has been limited to 21 total games dating back to the 2021 season. Despite his frequent absences, Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills continue to constantly churn out a top-five defense.
With the Bills in a miserable cap situation, difficult roster decisions must be made. That may include cutting the two-time Pro Bowler, as a pre-June 1 release would open $6 million in cap space for the Bills.
If they wait until after June 1, the Bills would clear $10 million in releasing White.
