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 NFC. Click here for the AFC rundown.
Note: All salary cap and contract numbers are from Over The Cap as of Feb. 16.
Cousins' release this offseason was essentially guaranteed after he agreed to a re-worked contract with the Falcons in early January. The restructured deal reportedly unties the hands of both parties a bit, giving Atlanta more cap flexibility by deferring Cousins' money. The four-time Pro Bowler will almost certainly hit free agency in March and could find a new starting job after backing up Michael Penix Jr. for half of 2025. At 38 years old, and after posting subpar numbers since leaving Minnesota in 2024, Cousins will have an interesting market.
Arguably the offensive face of the franchise since Drew Brees retired, Kamara may have reached the end of his tenure in New Orleans. The 30-year-old running back had easily the least productive season of his career in 2025, totaling career lows in rushing yards (471), receiving yards (186), scrimmage touchdowns (one) and yards per touch (4.0). He also posted career lows in explosive run rate (7.6%) and missed tackle rate (20.6%), according to Next Gen Stats. The Saints likely haven’t found their future at the position yet -- Audric Estimé, Kendre Miller nor Devin Neal really fit the bill -- but with a cap hit of $18.6 million, their vision probably shouldn’t involve Kamara. Cutting him before June 1 only frees up $360,000 (with $18.2 million in dead money), so he’s an excellent candidate for a post-June 1 designation (when the cap savings rockets up to $8.5 million). But either way, 2026 should be the first season in nearly a decade without the Pro Bowl back in the Bayou.
I labeled Jones as a cut candidate two years ago. And while he was very good in his first year in Minnesota, the veteran running back struggled a bit in 2025, posting a career-low 4.9 yards per touch and scoring three touchdowns in 12 games. He also averaged just 2.8 yards after contact per carry and a 9.1% explosive run rate (also career lows). Jones turned 31 in December and has always thrived on his explosiveness, an area in which a downturn is expected with aging backs. Cutting him frees up $6.8 million in cap space for a team currently $40.1 million in the red. This feels like a bit of a no-brainer.
Conner missed the vast majority of 2025 with an ankle injury, but even before the injury, he was averaging just 3 yards per carry and had one explosive run in three games for a 3.1% explosive run rate, lowest of his career by far. Like Kamara and Jones, Conner frees up significant cap space ($7.5 million) if released this offseason, and while the Cardinals are in much better shape than the Saints or Vikings, they have a ton of holes to fill under new head coach Mike LaFleur. They’re also likely to move on from Kyler Murray, and it makes sense to start relatively fresh across the Arizona backfield. The Cardinals don’t have a superb successor lined up, but the combination of Conner's age (turning 31 in May), production and contract makes this an easy call.
Aiyuk’s situation is a complicated one. He played just seven games in 2024 and didn't play a single snap in 2025, amid recovery from a significant knee injury and an increasingly strained relationship with the team. This was all particularly bad timing after GM John Lynch and Co. signed the wide receiver to a four-year, $120 million contract extension just before the 2024 campaign, but it resulted in the team voiding his 2026 guaranteed money. Now, cutting Aiyuk before June 1 would result in a painful $29.5 million in dead money (and no cap savings), but designating him as one of the 49ers' post-June 1 cuts (or trading him after that date, if they can find a suitor) would end up saving them $6.3 million. However the messy saga ends, it seems destined to end in the next few months, and Aiyuk will end up on another team before the 2026 season.
After a solid campaign in 2024 -- 64 catches for 992 yards and a career-high five touchdowns -- Mooney fell off the face of the earth in 2025. Despite playing 15 games for the Falcons, he totaled 32 catches for 443 yards and one touchdown, very consistent with his numbers in both 2022 and 2023 with Chicago. It was a stark reminder that Mooney is probably more of a low-volume, deep-ball specialist than a true WR2, which makes his $18.4 million cap hit in 2026 a little hard to swallow. Atlanta should build its offense around Bijan Robinson and Drake London -- there's also potential for a Kyle Pitts extension this offseason — so it’s unlikely Mooney fits into that picture at his current price point.
Hockenson totaled 155 catches, 1,479 yards and eight touchdowns over 25 games with the Vikings in 2022 and 2023, playing at or near the level that earned him two Pro Bowl selections in Detroit. Unfortunately, over his 25 games since the start of 2024, the veteran tight end has totaled just 92 catches for 893 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers all fall short of his 2023 production alone. So, while the four-year, $66 million extension he signed just before 2023 initially seemed like a score for the front office, it’s since become a burden. Hockenson carries a $21.3 million cap hit in 2026 -- highest at his position across the league -- and Minnesota can save $8.9 million by releasing him before June 1 or $16 million if it makes him a post-June 1 cut. Both options are viable, but keeping him on the payroll with an already troubling cap situation and declining production is not ideal.
Ben Johnson’s offense used 12 personnel at the sixth-highest rate in the league in 2025 (32.5%, tied with the Giants), so utilizing the TE combo of Kmet and dynamic rookie Colston Loveland made sense. However, after watching Loveland’s breakout down the stretch — and the corresponding drop in Kmet’s numbers -- it becomes tougher to justify Kmet's $11.6 million cap hit in 2026. Chicago, which currently sits $5.3 million in the red, can move on for a whopping $8.4 million in cap savings. Kmet enjoyed his best campaigns in 2022 and '23, and he's largely average as a run blocker. Combine his decreasing production with the price point and Kmet doesn't make much sense as a TE2 behind Loveland -- even in an offense that often uses two TEs. I'd expect the Bears to move on and potentially sign a player like Tommy Tremble or Darnell Washington in free agency.
Johnson played five solid years for the Bears, earning consecutive Pro Bowl selections in 2023 and 2024, before missing the majority of the 2025 campaign with a severe groin injury. He was largely considered a top-10 cornerback entering last season -- though his contract lands just outside that range, with his $19 million average annual value ranking 13th at the position. So, why is he a cut candidate? Well, there are surprising cuts every offseason, and they usually come down to money. Johnson carries a $24.5 million cap hit in 2026, and the Bears could save $15.5 million by designating him as a post-June 1 release (their most lucrative option for that designation). Also, Johnson’s 58.7 overall defensive grade from PFF ranked 64th out of 98 corners with 400+ snaps in 2025, and his 12.2 yards allowed per target was seventh-most among corners with 20+ targets. He is still young (27 years old in April), but Chicago could do a lot with that cap space if GM Ryan Poles decides Johnson’s not worth the price tag anymore.
The Commanders acquired Lattimore in a midseason pick-swap trade in 2024, and he had yet to reclaim his early-career Pro Bowl play through 11 games with the team before tearing his ACL in November. That said, this is less about level of play or injury timeline (or off-field issues) and more about money. Lattimore carries an $18.5 million cap hit in 2026 and all of it becomes savings if the team cuts him this offseason. The Commanders aren't in a bind financially, sitting $74.5 million under the cap (fifth-best in the league), but they took a major step back in 2025 and have a number of questionably valuable veteran contracts, with Lattimore’s being the most expensive and easiest to jettison. Given how poorly the defense played last season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a significant refresh across the roster, and Lattimore would be a rational starting point.
Howie Roseman is arguably the best GM in the business, especially when it comes to value-maximized trades. So when he acquired Carter from the Jets in October, I didn’t ask questions. Here’s the issue: Carter played just 20% of the snaps after joining Philly and finished the year with a rather terrible 48.6 coverage grade from PFF (108th among 118 CBs with 250+ snaps), as well as 11.2 yards per target and a 102.7 passer rating allowed, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s a good run-defending corner, but Philly plays in a division with talented passers Dak Prescott, Jayden Daniels and Jaxson Dart (with John Harbaugh at the helm). Ultimately, the Birds can cut Carter for $8.7 million in cap space and rock with Quinyon Mitchell and Adoree' Jackson on the outside (though they’ll need to re-sign Jackson before he becomes a free agent in March) and Cooper DeJean in the slot. By all accounts, Carter should be the odd man out this offseason.
Edmunds remained a solid and consistent linebacker in his eighth NFL season (and third with the Bears), extending his unbroken streak of seasons with 100+ tackles along with four interceptions and a fumble recovery. If he was making solid starter money -- say $10 million a year -- there’d be little to no reason to move on (except that Chicago is $5.3 million over the cap right now). Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Edmunds’ AVV of $18 million is third-highest at his position, and his cap hit of $17.4 million is fourth-highest. Most importantly, the Bears can save a monster $15 million against the cap by letting him go, with just $2.4 million in dead money.
Huff has played one full season since entering the league in 2020. In that 2023 campaign, he recorded 10 sacks, 68 QB pressures (with a 21.9% pressure rate) and 21 QB hits for the Jets. Outside of that season, he has never logged more than four sacks. He was technically the most productive pass rusher on the 49ers last season but recorded a pressure rate of just 13.9%. San Francisco also had the least productive pass rush in the entire NFL (20 sacks, 58 QB hits). Huff might be more productive with a healthy Nick Bosa playing on the other side, but the 49ers may not care to run that experiment since they can release Huff now for $5.4 million in cap savings. They’re currently solid on cap space, so this isn't a necessary move by any means, but it’s one that makes sense given his overall track record.
After trading Micah Parsons for Clark and two first-round picks, and emphasizing the importance of a better run defense, Jerry Jones and Co. might feel obligated to keep the 30-year old defensive tackle out of stubbornness. It’s worth noting he earned a 53.7 run grade from PFF in 2025 (40th out of 74 interior DL with 500+ snaps) and had just 21 run stops, fewest since his 2016 rookie season, according to NGS. Most importantly, however, the Cowboys are $30.1 million over the cap (third-worst in the league) and cutting Clark would free up all $21.5 million of his 2026 cap hit. The Cowboys also have Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa on the interior, who both carry cap hits over $20 million as well, with Williams guaranteed to stay as a cornerstone of the defense and Odighizuwa’s money far tougher to ditch this offseason. If Dallas doesn't let Clark go, it's going to be very hard-pressed to make the money work across the entire edge-of-contention roster.
The Vikings signed Hargrave to a two-year, $30 million contract less than a year ago, but it might already be time to move on from the 33-year-old defensive tackle. Hargrave logged just 3.5 sacks in 2025 -- less than half his average yearly production in 2021-23 before a triceps injury derailed his 2024 season in San Francisco. He was fine from a PFF grading perspective (69.1 overall), but it’s fair to believe Minnesota expected more when it took the financial risk on Hargrave post-injury. Now, the Vikings can release him for $11 million in cap savings, and even with $10.5 million in dead money, that’s probably worth it given the Vikings' cap situation and their need to improve around young quarterback J.J. McCarthy (or sign some competition for him).
The Packers moved Jenkins to center in 2025, and it was going relatively fine -- 65.6 overall PFF grade (right around average), 0.5 sacks allowed on 289 pass blocking snaps -- before he suffered a season-ending lower-leg injury. Ultimately, it might not have mattered how well he played or how healthy he was -- Jenkins carries a $24.3 million cap hit in 2026, and the Packers can free up $19.5 million by cutting him prior to June 1. Those numbers are extremely high for a guard -- fourth-highest cap hit on the team, in fact -- and unheard of for a center. Realistically, it would be shocking if Green Bay, which is slightly over the cap currently, kept Jenkins on the payroll, at least without some sort of significant restructuring.
Between the two of them, Tomlinson ($16.2 million) and Nichols ($7.8 million) carry $24 million in cap damage into 2026. Unfortunately, neither was an impact player in 2025, as Nichols missed 13 games (with zero starts) after missing 11 the year prior, and Tomlinson’s 44.3 overall PFF grade ranked 67th out of 74 interior defensive linemen with 500+ snaps. Incidentally, fellow Cardinals DT Darius Robinson was dead last on that leaderboard at 30.3. Needless to say, Arizona needs a full reset on the defensive interior. That should start with the pre-June 1 release of Tomlinson for $9.4 million in cap savings or $14.5 million as a post-June 1 designation. Nichols should quickly follow to free up another $5.8 million. From there, the front office will have a lot of work to do to find a new answer at quarterback and get back to competing in the toughest division in football.
