One Possible 2026 Salary-Cap Cut for Every NFL Team

Lead: As NFL teams prepare for the 2026 league year, roster architects are weighing cuts that could free significant cap space and reshape rosters. Across the league, decisions hinge on injuries, contract structures and looming roster-bonus dates; some moves are simple accounting while others could alter a team’s competitive window. Examples range from veteran releases such as Marshon Lattimore in Washington to medical uncertainty around Houston’s Joe Mixon. What follows is a team-by-team lens on one plausible salary-cap cut, the expected savings, and the strategic logic behind each pick.

Key takeaways

• Several clubs could clear double-digit millions: the Chiefs could save roughly $20 million by cutting RT Jawaan Taylor, and Miami could have cleared about $35 million by moving on from Tyreek Hill (the Dolphins subsequently released Hill).
• Injury and medical uncertainty drive many choices: James Conner (Arizona) and Joe Mixon (Houston) are flagged largely because of recent foot injuries and unclear recovery timelines.
• Contract architecture matters: Kirk Cousins’ restructure contains a $67.9 million March 13 bonus that makes him an expensive roster hold for Atlanta unless a different arrangement is reached.
• Post-June 1 designations are common: teams such as Denver (Ben Powers) and Detroit (Graham Glasgow) could create meaningful 2026 relief by postponing dead-money hits into later years.
• Age, fit and performance all factor: veterans like Elgton Jenkins, Marshon Lattimore and Javon Hargrave are cited because health, scheme fit or declining production raise their vulnerability.
• Teams over the cap face tougher tradeoffs: Jacksonville, Minnesota and the Giants are among those whose single-player cuts wouldn’t be enough without restructures or deeper moves.

Background

The salary-cap era forces NFL teams to treat roster construction as multi-year financial engineering as much as talent evaluation. Even productive veterans can be released when their cap hits conflict with a club’s timeline, recent injury history or a young player ready to step up. The Cooper Kupp example is instructive: released by the Rams in March 2025 for salary reasons after declining production, Kupp signed a $45 million deal with the Seahawks and later scored a playoff touchdown against his former team en route to a second ring. That sequence shows how cap moves can produce dramatic storylines—and how a small group of decisions can alter competitive balance.

Two mechanics frequently shape these choices. First, guaranteed money and roster-bonus triggers (many fall on the fifth day of the new league year or March 13) can make a player suddenly expensive; teams react by cutting, restructuring or designating a post-June 1 release to spread dead money. Second, medical uncertainty—notably season-ending injuries or degenerative issues—reduces a player’s trade market and makes a non-guaranteed salary easier to part with. The examples below reflect those pressures: from Washington’s Marshon Lattimore (cap relief of about $18.5 million) to Pittsburgh’s Jonnu Smith (roughly $7 million saved if cut).

Main event: notable candidates and the logic

The Falcons’ Kirk Cousins presents a contract-driven dilemma. Cousins helped Atlanta finish strongly, but a recent restructure means the team would owe him a $67.9 million bonus if he remains on the roster March 13. That makes an outright retention expensive; the Falcons could release and potentially re-sign him on different terms if market interest is minimal, but owner-level willingness to absorb that bonus looks unlikely.

In Arizona, James Conner’s standing mixes performance, leadership and health. Conner is under contract through 2026 and would save the Cardinals around $8 million if released, but he remains a respected locker-room presence. His severe right foot injury that ended his 2025 season after three games complicates the decision and pushes the team to weigh short-term cap relief against experience and continuity.

Some clubs have easier calls from an accounting perspective. Chicago could free about $15 million by moving on from Tremaine Edmunds, creating a clean cap out for a player whose deal provides one of the simplest savings options. The Bengals cite modest savings by parting with defensive tackles B.J. Hill ($4.8 million) or T.J. Slaton ($6.4 million) as examples where replacement or upgrade opportunities factor into the calculus.

In other spots, injury and scheme fit combine. Green Bay’s Elgton Jenkins (roughly $19.5 million in potential cap relief) and Rashan Gary (about $11 million) face scrutiny after injuries and inconsistent second-half play. The Broncos view Ben Powers’ $18.1 million 2026 cap charge as a leverage point: designating him a post-June 1 release could save $12.7 million if they trust a younger option like Alex Palczewski as a replacement.

Analysis & implications

Roster turnover driven by cap math has ripple effects beyond isolated savings. When teams cut veterans to create room, they often reallocate that money to younger players, free-agent signings with lower average costs, or to protect cornerstone contracts. For example, Kansas City’s likely move on Jawaan Taylor (about $20 million in savings) would not only reduce dead weight but also allow the club to retain or re-sign other pass-rush and offensive investments without sacrificing core contributors.

Medical questions can depress market value and force decisions that are as much about risk management as about performance. Joe Mixon in Houston and Tyreek Hill in Miami illustrate opposite ends of that spectrum: Mixon’s foot injury and uncertain timetable make him vulnerable to a cost-cutting release (roughly $8.5 million in cap charge), while Hill’s serious knee injury produced a pathway to large savings (about $35 million) that the Dolphins ultimately acted upon.

For teams teetering over the cap, single cuts rarely suffice. Jacksonville being roughly $11 million over the cap shows how structural moves—restructures or trading highly paid starters—become necessary. Those decisions can reshape competitive windows, forcing franchises to choose between short-term competitiveness and long-term roster flexibility.

Comparison & data

This sample highlights the range of one-off savings: some clubs can clear more than $20 million with a single veteran move, while others work in the single-digit millions. The chosen candidates reflect a blend of financial logic and football evaluation: age and injury risk lower market value, contract structures with upcoming roster bonuses create hard deadlines, and the availability of internal replacements or cheaper alternatives lowers the cost of a transition.

Reactions & quotes

Stakeholders have framed these choices through two consistent lenses: medical assessment and roster architecture. Teams and executives often emphasize uncertainty when discussing injured players, and coaches explain personnel moves in terms of fit and competition.

‘It was a freak injury,’ Houston general manager Nick Caserio said when discussing Joe Mixon’s foot problem and the team’s uncertainty about his availability.

Nick Caserio, Houston Texans (general manager)

That characterization helps explain why the Texans might consider a cap-saving release: medical unpredictability reduces trade value and raises the cost of holding a roster spot for a veteran back with a non-guaranteed contract.

‘I took the Seattle OC job so that I could work with Smith,’ new Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said in framing his offense and the potential continuity he values with veteran quarterbacks.

Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas Raiders (head coach)

Kubiak’s remark clarifies why the Raiders might prioritize continuity over a cap-driven quarterback change, even as they weigh other internal savings candidates like guard Alex Cappa.

Unconfirmed

• Whether Michael Penix Jr. will be fully cleared and ready by the 2026 season opener; his timetable remains uncertain following ACL rehab.
• If Kirk Cousins is released by Atlanta and ultimately re-signs on a restructured deal, that scenario depends on market interest and owner willingness to absorb initial bonus exposure.
• The long-term health and trade market value of Joe Mixon post-recovery remain unclear, making any optimistic projection tentative.
• Potential restructures for high-salary players in Jacksonville and Minnesota that could reduce the need for individual cuts are still early-stage and not confirmed.

Bottom line

As the 2026 league year approaches, salary-cap moves will be among the least glamorous but most consequential roster decisions teams make. Cuts will be driven by an interplay of cashflow timing, medical risk and roster depth; a single veteran release can create room to sign younger, cheaper contributors or protect key investments elsewhere. Fans should expect both immediate-impact savings and more surgical post-June 1 moves that spread the accounting burden.

Watch the calendar (roster-bonus and vesting dates) and public medical updates: those two variables will determine whether a reported candidate is actually let go or retained and restructured. The aggregate effect of these moves will shape 2026 windows of contention more than any single headline name—though, as Cooper Kupp’s recent arc shows, individual stories born from roster math can still yield dramatic playoff narratives.

Sources

• The New York Times / The Athletic (sports reporting)
• OverTheCap (salary-cap database and contract analysis)