The frenzy of NFL free agency is most often focused on the players signing in new spots -- but some of the most impactful moves each year are the cuts teams make in the pursuit of coveted cap space.
In anticipation, here are a handful of the biggest names on cut watch in the AFC. Click here for the NFC rundown.
Note: All salary cap and contract numbers are from Over The Cap as of Feb. 17.
Aaron Rodgers would top this list, but because the Jets have already expressed their intent to part ways, it feels like cheating. That said, assuming Rodgers moves on in some fashion, the Jets also appear likely to move on from Davante Adams, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported earlier this month. Productive as Adams was last season, when he turned 32, releasing him would secure nearly $30 million in cap savings for a team in need of an overhaul. This also hinges a bit on what happens with Garrett Wilson, who could be up for an extension if he and the Jets can make nice, but don’t be surprised to see Adams in a new jersey (again) next year.
Let’s all be honest with each other. Allen Lazard’s presence in Florham Park is 99.9 percent a side effect of Aaron Rodgers’ presence in Florham Park. With the latter headed out of town shortly, I think we can all but guarantee the exit of the wideout as well. Lazard was oddly productive early in 2024, scoring five touchdowns in the first six games, but he disappeared for most of the rest of the season. More importantly, he carries a $13.2 million cap hit in 2025. While New York can only save $6.6 million of that by cutting him pre-June 1, it’s still a worthwhile move, considering the price-to-production ratio and the departure of his longtime quarterback.
Yes, this is absurd. Cutting a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest playoff pass-catcher in NFL history? Nonsense. Right?! Well, not necessarily. Assuming Travis Kelce doesn’t retire this spring, the Chiefs could probably restructure his contract to make it work until he does hang up the cleats. But it’s not impossible that they let him go for a whopping $17.3 million in cap savings, considering the 35-year-old has now posted consecutive seasons with fewer than 1,000 yards and had just eight receiving touchdowns in 2023 and 2024 combined (not counting playoffs, of course). Kelce’s efficiency has plummeted these last two years, and it might be time for Kansas City to move on (if he doesn’t do so himself). Again, this would be crazy, but Kansas City has split with legendary tight ends amidst solid production before (SEE: Gonzalez, Tony).
Immediate disclaimer: I think this is very unlikely. The chemistry between Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews is too tight, and Andrews scored 11 touchdowns over Baltimore’s last 12 regular-season games. However, this article covers potential and there is a sliver of potential here. Despite the touchdowns, the veteran tight end was clearly less effective in 2024, averaging just 3.2 receptions and 39.6 yards per game -- both his lowest career marks outside of his rookie season. The Ravens have another (younger) pass-catching tight end in Isaiah Likely. Cutting Andrews heading into a contract year would save $11 million for a franchise not currently in the greatest cap shape. And, of course, there was the playoff collapse. Still, Andrews is a core piece of this offense and locker room, so I don’t expect him to go anywhere in 2025.
Joey Bosa made this list last season, but the Chargers decided to keep both him and Khalil Mack and move on from receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. They did restructure Bosa’s contract -- the ideal scenario I laid out in the 2024 column -- but here we are again heading into 2025. Los Angeles could save $25.4 million against the cap by cutting Bosa, who did make the Pro Bowl again this most recent season but still has not rediscovered the double-digit sack form from earlier in his career (he had just five in 2024). Mack will be a free agent this March, adding a wrinkle to the situation, and the Chargers are currently in the top five in cap space, so maybe Bosa sticks around for another year. But he’s on the watch list.
The Bengals defense has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride in recent years, but Sam Hubbard has been a consistent piece on the edge since he was drafted in 2018. Unfortunately, both he and the defense as a whole had awful seasons in 2024. Hubbard matched his career low with just two sacks and set a new career low with three tackles for loss. His 47.6 Pro Football Focus pass rush grade was dead last among 69 edge rushers with at least 500 defensive snaps. Letting him go would create $9.5 million in cap savings. Cincy needs to retool its defense, and this would be a good starting point.
Another potential casualty of the 2024 Bengals' defensive debacle could be Sheldon Rankins. He just signed a two-year deal with Cincy last offseason, but he missed 10 games and was not particularly good in the seven he played. He earned a 46.2 run defense grade and a 58.9 pass rush grade from PFF and totaled just 18 tackles and one sack/TFL/QB hit -- which came against the league’s most easily sacked quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Cutting Rankins will save Cincinnati another $9.6 million against the cap as it seeks to fix that porous defense.
After earning a Pro Bowl nod in each of his first eight full seasons in the NFL, Von Miller is very clearly in the sunset years of his career. He has had just 14 sacks in three seasons with the Bills, played roughly one-third of the defensive snaps in 2024 and turns 36 years old on March 26. While he can be a useful situational pass rusher, that kind of usage does not justify his $23.8 million cap number next season (10th-highest among NFL edge rushers). Buffalo would eat $15.4 million in dead money by cutting him pre-June 1, so designating him as a post-June 1 cut might be more ideal -- with just $6.4 million in dead money and saving $17.4 million in that case. Either way, the Bills are currently projected to be $17 million over the cap (third-worst in the league), so they need to pinch pennies wherever possible, and Miller seems likely to be among the casualties.
To be frank, it was shocking to see the Jaguars sign Christian Kirk to a four-year, $72 million contract in 2022. His best campaign at that point had come the previous year, when he finished with 982 receiving yards and five touchdowns. And while it looked somewhat promising when he broke out for 1,108 yards and eight scores in his first season in Jacksonville, Kirk has missed 14 games and totaled just four touchdowns in the two years since. Jacksonville found its true No. 1 receiver in Brian Thomas Jr. in last year’s draft, and while Kirk is a good WR2, he’s not worth the $24.1 million cap hit he brings in 2025. Cutting him will result in $13.7 million in dead money but will also bring $10.4 million in cap space for a franchise seeking a fresh start.
Alex Cappa has been a mainstay on the Cincinnati offensive line for three straight years, starting all 50 regular-season games. That said, he’s also allowed 15 sacks over that span, third-most by any guard in the league, and has a PFF pass-blocking grade of 55.2, which ranks 64th out of 79 guards with at least 600 snaps in that window. The Bengals can save $8 million against the cap by cutting Cappa, who’s entering a contract year. Despite his consistent availability, that’s a recipe for an early departure.
This is a tough decision for Indy’s front office. Samson Ebukam started all 17 games in 2023 and led the roster with 9.5 sacks. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles in training camp and missed the entire 2024 season, while 2023 first-rounder Kwity Paye and 2024 first-rounder Laiatu Latu showed promise as the future of the Indy pass rush. Now, the Colts will need to decide whether to hold on to Ebukam entering a contract year with a $10.5 million cap hit. They could part ways for $7.5 million in cap savings or keep him for one more year while Paye and Latu continue to develop.
If Indy believes Ebukam is worth keeping for 2025, it could pivot to Raekwon Davis as the top cut candidate. The defensive tackle signed with the Colts just last offseason (two years, $14 million) but didn’t make a start, played 30 percent of defensive snaps, had just 15 tackles and was generally worse across the board in 2024 than he had been in Miami prior. He nets $6.5 million in cap savings with an early release, which feels like a pretty easy call unless the Colts see him bouncing back significantly next year.
Braden Smith has been a Colt for seven seasons and started 92 of 94 games played since being drafted in 2018. He’s a solid rock on the right side of the offensive line ... when he’s healthy. And therein lies the problem. Smith has missed 12 games over the last two seasons and at least five contests in three of the last four campaigns. His $19.8 million cap hit in 2025 is top 10 at his position -- a fair price for his services, if he can stay on the field. Indy will just need to decide whether his spotty availability is a concern at that price point, given a bottom-half-of-the-league cap situation and the mountain of work it'll need to do to compete in the AFC.
Since the Titans drafted him in 2019, Amani Hooker has been a regular piece of the Tennessee secondary, starting in all 27 games he has played the last two seasons (while missing seven with injury). He even set career highs in 2024 with five interceptions, nine passes defensed and two forced fumbles, yet he finished with a 65.1 overall defensive grade, per PFF, second-lowest of his career. More importantly, he carries an $11.3 million cap hit in 2025, $8.8 million of which Tennessee can save by releasing him before June 1. Hooker has the eighth-highest cap hit among safeties next year, but in terms of performance, he's not currently in the top 10 at his position.
If Tennessee prefers to keep Hooker, another similarly fringe defensive cut candidate would be Kenneth Murray, who carries a $10.2 million cap hit in 2025 and could be cut for $7.7 million in cap savings. Murray also started every game he played last season (14) and totaled 95 tackles (eight for loss) and a career-high 3.5 sacks, but he was absolutely abysmal against the run. According to PFF, Murray’s 35.0 run defense grade was the worst among 82 linebackers with at least 300 defensive snaps -- heavily damaging his overall defensive grade of 45.9 (third-lowest among that group). Depending on how Tennessee wants to tackle the offseason (no pun intended), Hooker, Murray and/or linebackers Arden Key or Harold Landry III could all be on the chopping block.
Denico Autry has had a consistent, 10-plus-year career across multiple teams, but it might be winding to a close after a middling age-34 season in Houston. Autry started just two of 10 games played, logged just three sacks and six QB hits (both his fewest since 2016) and carries a $10.3 million cap hit heading into 2025. Houston only saves $5.8 million by cutting him pre-June 1, so Autry would be better designated as a post-June 1 cut ($8.8 million in cap savings). The veteran will likely be released either way.
The Broncos are right in the middle of the league in cap space and have a promising quarterback (Bo Nix) on his rookie contract, so they’re not in bad shape financially. That said, if they want to make extra room -- perhaps to acquire some weaponry for Nix -- the first candidate for release would be John Franklin-Myers. Despite appearing in all 17 games (16 starts), Franklin-Myers played just 46 percent of defensive snaps. He still managed seven sacks and 18 QB hits on those snaps, which is a solid production rate, but he carries a $10 million cap hit in 2025 and can be released prior to June 1 for $7 million in savings. It’s not a necessary move by any means, but it’s a possible one, depending on Denver’s priorities.
The Browns are in as bad a spot as it gets financially, currently projected to sit $31 million over the cap with a disastrous quarterback situation featuring Mr. Deshaun Watson, who carries a $73 million cap number (!) in 2025. Their most lucrative options for legitimate cap savings would be designating a couple of offensive linemen as post-June 1 cuts, but that doesn't feel likely. Instead, they might have to look at Dalvin Tomlinson, who started 16 games in 2024 and was pretty solid from a production standpoint, as a designated post-June 1 cut, which would result in $6.4 million in cap savings. It’s a small start to a major project.
