Part of the annual process for every team is reviewing the roster for potential salary cuts. Like any layoffs, it tends to be cold and harsh. Some teams have to slash payroll to get out from under past contract mistakes. But it’s not just the obvious deals. Teams will rarely pass up the opportunity to save a buck if they don’t think the production matches the salary, even if they have plenty of cap space and even if the player still has gas in the tank.
It’s a tough time for a lot of players. However, it’s also an opportunity. One team’s trash can be another team’s treasure, and every year there are several players who are cut who go on to have successful seasons.
Here’s the first look at all 32 teams and which players could be at risk of being caught up as cap casualties next year:
San Francisco 49ers
The heavy cutting for the 49ers was done this past offseason as they revamped their roster, shedding aging veterans like WR Deebo Samuel and DT Javon Hargrave and adding nearly a dozen rookies to the roster. As a result, there aren’t many more high-priced veterans to let go in 2026, as the guys San Francisco kept got guaranteed money on new deals.
The exception might be Huff. The 49ers inherited the rest of the three-year, $51 million deal he signed with the Eagles in 2024, and Huff is owed $17.1 million in the last year of that deal next season. He’s been a nice find as a trade acquisition with four sacks in nine games and ranking 13th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate among edge rushers. Still, $17.1 million is a lot of savings. A win-win for both parties might be a new deal, lowering Huff’s cap hit and giving him some more long-term security.
Chicago Bears
The Bears used a first-round pick on TE Colston Loveland this past April and he’s been platooning with Kmet while he gets used to the league. Going forward, the Bears probably expect Loveland to be top dog over Kmet, and that’s a lot of money for a No. 2 tight end.
Swift may have played his way into the team’s 2026 plans after they didn’t have a choice but to inherit him for this year given his guaranteed salary. He’s currently averaging a career-high 70 yards rushing per game and has 134 carries for 634 yards and four touchdowns in nine games. Swift is also running as hard as he has in his career after a criticism early on was that he would go down on contact too easily. While $7.5 million is notable savings, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bears add a more physical complement alongside Swift, not replace him outright.
Santos just turned 34 and his current field goal percentage of 80 would be a career low for a full season. The Bears could explore a cheaper and younger alternative.
Cincinnati Bengals
No player on Cincinnati’s defense should feel safe after this season. Slaton was signed to be a run-plugging nose tackle, but the Bengals rank 31st in the league defending the run with 1,609 yards allowed in 10 games. Hill was a semi-rare third contract re-signing by the Bengals, and while he has two sacks on the year, he’s also on the other side of 30. He has more equity banked with the team than Slaton and is the more likely of the two to be back.
Karras has been locked in as an every-game starter for the Bengals since signing in 2022. The savings aren’t particularly notable for a starter, but if the team wants to get ahead of the curve and get younger after being bitten by declining players the past couple of years, Karras could be targeted as a cut.
Gesicki has just eight catches in six healthy games this year after a breakout last year. He was one of the players QB Joe Burrow stumped for to re-sign this offseason. Maybe the two get some momentum together down the stretch. Otherwise the Bengals have some depth at tight end they could roll with and pocket the savings.
Buffalo Bills
Knox has been pushed to the No. 2 tight end role by Bills TE Dalton Kincaid , who’s had a strong 2025 season. Nearly $10 million in savings will be too much to ignore for a Bills team close to the cap, but Knox has been a valued contributor and some sort of reduced salary could make sense for both sides.
Had Samuel’s 2025 salary not already been guaranteed, he likely would have been cut this past offseason. As it is, Buffalo will likely move on from the veteran wideout who still somehow doesn’t turn 30 years old until next August. He has just seven catches this year.
Denver Broncos
There are a few Broncos veterans with sizable base salaries that aren’t guaranteed like OT Mike McGlinchey and G Ben Powers , but those players are all still productive starters. With $34 million in projected effective cap space next year (a metric from Over The Cap that accounts for filling out a full roster, signing draft picks, etc), the Broncos are in great shape.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns subscribe to the credit card philosophy of salary cap management, which means there aren’t many cuts they can make to clear cap space. If they move on from Lucas, who turns 35 next year, it will have more to do with revamping an underwhelming offensive tackle group than saving a paltry $2 million.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin ’s $22 million base salary in 2026 is guaranteed, which shuts down any idea of him being a cut after an injury-marred 2025 season. Other big-name veterans like DT Vita Vea and S Antoine Winfield Jr. have major base salaries that aren’t guaranteed, and both are getting closer to 30 years old — the age teams start reassessing a player’s potential longevity. For now, though, both Vea and Winfield are playing well, and the Buccaneers aren’t pressed hard up against the cap enough to be forced into those kinds of tough decisions in 2026.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona has invested a lot in free agency over the past few years to try and turn around the roster, and several of those deals are starting to hit the expiration date. Jones hasn’t been on a practice field for the Cardinals since early August with a knee injury, and he was limited to just three games in 2024. He’s an obvious cut, along with Nichols who signed at the same time as him in 2023. Nichols has played in two games this year and eight over the past two seasons. Murphy-Bunting signed back in 2023 too and was placed on the non-football injury list back in the summer. He has likely played his last down for the Cardinals, who moved on to younger options at the position this year.
Tomlinson has been more productive than the other three, starting all 10 games for the Cardinals after inking a two-year deal this past offseason. However, the 31-year-old has no sacks, is on pace for a career-low in tackles and has the worst PFF grade of his career so far. He’s due nearly $15 million in cash next year and there’s a good chance the Cardinals continue the reset to get younger and cheaper up front.
Conner’s season-ending foot injury puts him in a tough spot with the team next year, even after signing an extension last November. His absence has been a big reason for the Cardinals’ struggles this year but he turns 31 next May and plays a position with a notoriously volatile shelf life. It’s not a guarantee he comes back as the same player. He has no guarantees next year but there is a $1 million roster bonus due in March which could at least prompt the Cardinals to make a decision earlier. The worst-case scenario for players in these situations sometimes is having a deal that teams can squat on until the summer when budgets have been spent and landing spots around the league have been filled, giving them more leverage to negotiate a pay cut.
Brown’s versatility to play center and guard has come in handy, and he’s made 10 starts at guard for the Cardinals in 2025. However, Arizona used a third-round pick on Isaiah Adams with the idea he’d eventually take over and be an upgrade. If Brown is pushed to a depth role, $5 million is a bit of a premium to pay for that.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are projected to lead the NFL in available effective cap space in 2026, coming in well above $80 million right now. There’s not a lot of urgency to clear more room but Dissly has slipped behind some other options on the depth chart and is a strong cut candidate to add a little bit more to the team’s offseason war chest.