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. 16.
New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley have already set course for a rebuild, releasing four players -- wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, pass rusher Bradley Chubb and guard James Daniels -- on Monday to clear over $56 million in 2026 cap space. They likely won't stop there as Tagaviloa’s time in Miami seems to be reaching its end. The big questions are: Will he get cut or traded? And when? Cutting Tagovailoa before June 1 would result in a horrendous $99.2 million of dead money, while cutting him after that date would spread that money out over two years. Still painful. Trading him before June 1 could be the best bet financially, as just $45.2 million in dead money would also mean $11 million in cap savings, though the Dolphins would need to find a suitor and likely pay some of Tagovailoa's $54 million fully-guaranteed salary for 2026 to make the trade more feasible. Any way you slice it, Tagovailoa’s career in Miami has been extremely disappointing, and he will almost surely be gone before the 2026 season.
With the No. 1 draft pick in hand and a new regime in place, it’s a near-lock the Raiders will be moving in a new direction at quarterback this offseason. It also didn’t help that Smith finished the 2025 season with 19 touchdowns, a league-high 17 interceptions and 55 sacks, an atrocious 84.7 passer rating and what was undoubtedly some of the worst tape in the league (at least according to my eyes). Cutting Smith only results in $8 million in cap savings while sinking $18.5 million in dead money, but unless new head coach Klint Kubiak sees him as a worthy bridge quarterback to presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, any juice would be worth the squeeze in Las Vegas. Pete Carroll is gone and I’d be very surprised if his hand-picked quarterback of the past is not soon to follow.
Pollard has quietly been one of the most consistent running backs in football the last four years, logging between 1,288 and 1,378 scrimmage yards in each of those seasons and scoring between five and six touchdowns in each of the last three. However, it hasn’t mattered much for the Titans, who went 3-14 in both 2024 and 2025 with Pollard leading the backfield. As Tennessee looks to rebuild around No. 1 pick Cam Ward, it might make sense to ditch Pollard’s $9.25 million cap hit and open $7.25 million in space for a more important position. The running back will be 29 years old in April and just logged his lowest average speed (12.05 mph) and lowest rate of 15+ mph runs (11.6%) in any season of his career, according to Next Gen Stats. While he’s been solid, holding onto aging and semi-expensive running backs is rarely a recipe for success, especially for a team trying to start over.
Speaking of aging and expensive running backs who may not be worth keeping. The 2025 season was an extremely strange one for Mixon and the Texans, with a mysterious, non-football foot injury ultimately keeping the 29-year-old running back (who turns 30 in July) off the field all year. It was an unfortunate development considering Mixon’s recent dominance -- only Derrick Henry had more yards and touchdowns than Mixon from 2021 through 2024 -- and Houston’s need for a functional run game. The team fell short in the Divisional Round against the Patriots, with Woody Marks and Nick Chubb combining for just 31 yards on 18 carries. Ironically, they also fell short in the 2024 Divisional Round with Mixon logging 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Cutting (or trading) Mixon in free agency would net $8 million in cap savings for a team currently in the red and perhaps allow it to invest into a largely lackluster offensive line instead.
Ridley has had a topsy-turvy career, playing for three teams and missing the vast majority of both 2021 and 2022 after Atlanta drafted him in the first round back in 2018. This past year, he played just seven games and totaled just 17 catches for 303 yards for Tennessee before breaking his leg in November. Now, at 31 years old and carrying a $26.5 million cap hit into 2026, he’s likely headed to a fourth team (or a retirement). Tennessee saves $13.4 million against the 2026 cap by cutting him before June 1 (or $16.4 million if it can find a trade suitor) and can use that money to build a better offense around Cam Ward, who's built a good rapport with young wideouts Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike. With age and injury further clouding the waters, it would be very surprising to see Ridley back in Tennessee next season.
After a(nother) disappointing playoff loss to end the 2025 season, the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott, promoted OC Joe Brady to that role and will retool around Josh Allen this offseason to make a run at the Super Bowl … again. GM Brandon Beane has struggled to find the right offensive pieces to properly support his all-world QB, and chief among his misses were Samuel and Knox. Buffalo signed Samuel to a three-year, $24 million deal in 2024, and he’s totaled 38 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns the last two seasons. It previously signed Knox to a four-year, $52 million extension in 2022, and while Knox made the Pro Bowl that season, he has been middling at best in the three years since. Samuel can be cut for $6.1 million in cap savings -- arguably a necessity given his lack of production -- and Knox can be released for $9.7 million in savings prior to June 1 or $12 million in savings as a post-June 1 designation. Dumping one (or both) would go a long way to arming Buffalo for a run at a true No. 1 receiver.
Amidst a season rife with defensive struggles, Humphrey was under particular scrutiny. Baltimore ended up allowing the third-most net passing yards per game, behind only the Cowboys and Colts, and Humphrey allowed the most receiving yards in coverage (831) in the entire league, according to Next Gen Stats. He surrendered a 66.3% completion rate and 8.7 yards per target, both of which were worse than fellow Ravens corners Nate Wiggins and Chidobe Awuzie. And yet, Humphrey carries the fourth-highest cap hit on the team in 2026 at $26.3 million. Cutting him before June 1 would net $7.3 million in cap savings, but he might be worth one of the post-June 1 cut slots, as that would boost the savings to $19.3 million for Baltimore. Granted, Humphrey has been a Raven for nine seasons, since they drafted him 16th overall in 2017, and has made four Pro Bowls and earned two first-team All-Pro nods in that span. But with John Harbaugh gone and a new era arriving in Baltimore, Humphrey could also see the chopping block this offseason.
Queen was a Pro Bowler two years ago in his first season with Pittsburgh, and his numbers were somewhat similar across the board in 2025. He was second on the team in tackles with 120 and had eight tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. On the flip side, he earned just a 43.4 overall defensive grade from PFF, including an abysmal 32.4 coverage grade. His overall grade was 61st out of 67 linebackers with 500-plus snaps, and his coverage grade was 65th on that same list. According to Next Gen Stats, he allowed 57 catches for 591 yards, four touchdowns, a 107.6 passer rating and a 50.6% success rate in coverage. The Steelers are in good cap shape, so this might not be a necessary move, but cutting Queen before June 1 would save Pittsburgh $13.3 million to help build an offense to new head coach Mike McCarthy’s specifications. Pittsburgh could instead/also cut Jalen Ramsey for $19.5 million in savings, but his move to safety earned him a Pro Bowl nod and his leadership on the defense might earn him the Pittsburgh roster spot over Queen.
The Jaguars took a huge step forward in 2025, winning nine more games than they did in 2024 and clinching a division title. But that didn’t have all that much to do with their pass defense, had even less to do with their pass rush and had very little to do with Armstead. At 32 years old, Armstead was largely middling on the interior of the defensive line, recording 5.5 sacks and earning an extremely average 63.0 PFF defensive grade. The issue is that he carries a $19.4 million cap hit into 2026, only $2.3 million of which becomes savings with a pre-June 1 cut. Instead, Armstead should be a strong consideration for one of the Jaguars’ post-June 1 cuts, which would net a whopping $14.5 million in cap savings. No other post-June 1 release would come close to that for the team, so if it's looking to move on from Armstead, that designation would make a ton of sense. And considering the Jags are $11.6 million over the cap -- sixth-worst in the league -- they will likely need to make some tougher cuts to set up for another successful run in the AFC South.
At 30 years old, Moore started just seven games and played just 76 percent of snaps in 2025, both fewest since his 2017 rookie season. Despite ranking among the league’s most effective run-defending corners (84.4 PFF grade, fifth-highest among CBs with 500+ defensive snaps), his coverage grade was average (63.8). The Colts allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL last season and it was a crucial factor in their second-half collapse. If they want to improve in that phase and save $7.1 million against the cap, they could cut Moore before June 1. After picking up Sauce Gardner’s massive contract with the November trade, Indy might need to look for a less expensive and more modern option in the slot, and Moore’s nine seasons in Indianapolis could come to an end as a result.
It might look like the Colts have the space to play around in free agency this offseason, sitting roughly $35 million under the cap, but they’re looking to re-sign Daniel Jones and possibly lock up Alec Pierce as well, which is why the Colts were on my short list of teams to be hit hardest by free agency. One somewhat surprising cut candidate could be linebacker Franklin. While he’s been a full-time starter and tackling machine for Indy for the last several seasons, including a Pro Bowl bid in 2024, Franklin’s production dropped off quite a bit in 2025. His overall PFF grade of 38.4 was the worst among 67 linebackers with at least 500 snaps, and he turns 30 years old in July. The Colts can move on for $5.8 million in cap savings and should strongly consider doing so unless they foresee a big bounce-back year for the veteran linebacker.
I wrote earlier this month that the Chiefs are staring down one of the toughest offseasons in the league. They sit a league-worst $54.9 million over the cap and have a lot of holes to fill after a disappointing 2025 campaign. To do that, however, they’re going to have to find some money. It makes sense to start with Fulton, who carries a $13 million cap hit into 2026 after playing just eight games (starting two) and 41 percent of snaps in 2025. Fulton’s cap hit is just $632,000 lower than full-time starter Trent McDuffie, and while the Chiefs only save $5 million against the cap by cutting Fulton, Brett Veach and Co. need to free up every cent possible. Fulton simply did not play often enough or well enough to justify the money he’ll be due next year.
Phillips has been a strong anchor in the middle of defensive lines for eight years (for three teams), most recently swapping from the Vikings to the Jets in a trade last August. He was good once again in 2025, earning PFF’s 18th-highest overall defensive grade out of 74 interior defensive lineman with 500+ snaps. But the Jets are in full rebuild mode after shipping off Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner during the season, and Phillips is 30 years old. Most importantly, his entire $7.5 million cap hit becomes savings if New York cuts him (or trades him) this offseason. The Jets are not in bad shape financially, with the fourth-most cap space in the league at $79.7 million, but they need to completely reshape this roster to find purchase in an AFC East that now features two Super Bowl contenders. Moving on from Phillips would be a reasonable start.
Since signing a sizeable four-year, $76.4 million contract with the Titans in 2024, Sneed has missed far more games (22) than he’s played (12), including landing on IR with a quadriceps injury after seven games in 2025, and was also indicted on a misdemeanor in November. He’s logged just three passes defensed with zero interceptions across all 12 games with Tennessee, after averaging 10 passes defensed and 2.5 interceptions per season in his four years with Kansas City. According to NGS, Sneed allowed 15 catches for 233 yards, three touchdowns and a whopping 121.4 passer rating on just 27 targets in coverage in 2025. He simply has not been for the Titans what he had been for the Chiefs and carries a $19.6 million cap hit that’s extremely hard to justify. The team can cut him for $11.4 million in savings prior to June 1 or $15.5 million as a post-June 1 designation, and use that money to build the offense or find more bang for its buck on defense.
Ward is somewhat synonymous with the Cleveland secondary at this point. He was the team’s fourth overall draft selection in 2018 and has logged eight seasons as a starter with five Pro Bowl trips and 104 passes defensed -- the most by a Brown since the stat was first tracked in 1991. At 29 years old, Ward may not be as elite as he once was but is still a solid corner with years left to give. The problem is the money. Ward carries a $32.9 million cap hit in 2026, highest on the team outside of Deshaun Watson, and the Browns could save $20 million by designating him as a post-June 1 cut. Cleveland is $2.3 million under the cap and needs heavy improvement across all areas of the roster to work its way out of the AFC North cellar. Given what he’s meant to the team for the better part of a decade, this would be a more surprising cut, but it also might make sense as Cleveland looks to the future under new head coach Todd Monken.
As with Fulton, Kansas City can put a huge dent in its cap problem by releasing the seven-year starting right tackle. Consistent as he’s been protecting Patrick Mahomes’ right side for nearly his entire career, Taylor is a penalty machine -- his 78 career penalties are the most in the entire league at any position since he was drafted in 2019 -- and his 54.8 overall offensive PFF grade in 2025 ranked 67th out of 71 tackles with 500+ snaps. Taylor carries a monster $27.4 million cap hit in 2026, fourth-highest among right tackles, and can be cut before June 1 for $20 million in savings. The Chiefs are desperate for cap space and this would by far be the biggest move in the right direction financially speaking.
Yes, the Chargers just signed the offensive guard to a two-year, $20 million contract last March. Unfortunately, they also just watched him struggle through 14 starts in 2025, earning PFF’s second-worst overall grade (38.7) and worst run-blocking grade (35.5) among 67 offensive guards with 500+ snaps. Cutting Becton would save $9.7 million against the cap, and while the Chargers have plenty of space, that’s a hard chunk of change to pass up given Becton’s play last season. They’ll be getting both tackles -- Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater -- back next season and should probably look for a new answer on the inside.
