NFL Roster-Cut Candidates: Alvin Kamara, Russell Wilson Among Possibilities

Each NFL team will soon have the opportunity to throw cash at free agents and add highly touted prospects to their rosters through the draft. But there is some other business to attend to first.

The 2024 offseason has reached the point where some notable names will turn into salary cap casualties. As franchises attempt to best situate their in-house financial standings before roster bonuses are due or the new league year (and free agency) opens on March 13, some high-profile players may soon be released to the open market. And who might that include this year?

From Jamal Adams to Russell Wilson, here are 10 roster-cut candidates from around the league.

Jamal Adams, S—Seattle Seahawks

Seattle pivoted from Pete Carroll to Mike Macdonald as head coach this offseason, and another major Seahawks shakeup could be on its way. The Seahawks dealt two first-round picks and a third-rounder to acquire Adams from the New York Jets before the 2020 season. And the former first-round pick's debut campaign in Seattle, which included 9.5 sacks, led to second-team All-Pro honors. In the three seasons since, though, Adams has missed a combined 29 games and been shaky in coverage when on the field.

Adams accounts for a $26.9 million 2024 cap hit, and combined with Quandre Diggs, the Seahawks have nearly $50 million dedicated to those two secondary pieces. If Seattle uses a post-June 1 designation on Adams, it would create about $16.5 million in cap savings for this coming season, per Pro Football Focus.

David Bakhtiari, OT—Green Bay Packers

The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle has the largest 2024 cap figure of any non-quarterback at just under $40 million. That's not ideal for a soon-to-be 33-year-old who has been limited to just one game in two of the last three seasons. Bakhtiari, formerly the protector of Aaron Rodgers' blind side, has been hampered by injuries since tearing his ACL during the 2020 season, wearing down a player at one time considered maybe the best tackle in the league. Saying goodbye to a fan favorite won't be easy—and $19 million or so in dead money isn't great—but the $21 million in additional cap space the move would provide, via the NFL website, may make it necessary.

Kevin Byard, S—Philadelphia Eagles

Acquiring the two-time All-Pro safety last year didn't go as planned for the Eagles, whose secondary faltered amid an end-of-season collapse. Philadelphia has since brought in new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to give the unit a makeover, which Byard may not be around for. The 30-year-old carries a $14.2 million cap hit into next season, though the Eagles can save just over $13 million by releasing Byard, per Over the Cap. According to The Athletic, no other possible releases would save Philly even $2 million.

D.J. Humphries, OT—Arizona Cardinals

Humphries, a longtime team captain, has anchored Arizona's offensive line since joining the franchise as a first-round pick in the 2015 draft. The Cardinals, however, may still part with this respected locker room voice, who at 30 years old is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 17 last season that could keep him out for a good chunk of 2024. Arizona would save roughly $9 million by cutting Humphries, per USA Today, and potentially pick a new offensive tackle out of this year's loaded class to pair with last year's No. 6 pick Paris Johnson Jr.

Alvin Kamara, RB—New Orleans Saints

The Saints are in salary cap hell. New Orleans is already about $80 million (worst in the NFL) above the 2024 cap, per Over the Cap, and the offseason hasn't even reached free agency yet. To make some financial amends, the Saints may need to part with some expensive veterans. And yes, that could include one of the NFL's most dynamic running backs. Kamara just posted north of 1,100 scrimmage yards for the seventh consecutive year to begin his career but carries the league's largest cap hit at the position and a $75 million contract that New Orleans may no longer be able to carry. The Saints would open roughly $11.7 million in cap space, and create about $7.1 million in dead money, by cutting Kamara with a post-June 1 designation, per the NFL.

Joe Mixon, RB—Cincinnati Bengals

Another running back, another player who could soon hit the open market. The Bengals nearly cut ties with Mixon last season before the two sides agreed on a pay cut for the former Pro Bowler. Mixon has been vocal about claims his time in Cincinnati is nearing its end, but the Bengals would save $5.8 million on the cap by letting him go, per The Athletic, a move that—if it happens—will do so before he is due a $3 million roster bonus on March 18.

If the Bengals move on from their seven-year starter, they would likely turn to 2023 fifth-round pick Chase Brown at the position.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR—Kansas City Chiefs

The speedy deep threat—aside from some recent playoff heroics—hasn't lived up to the free-agent deal he signed with Kansas City two off-seasons ago. Valdes-Scantling tallied career-lows in catches (21) and yards (315) last regular season for a miscue-plagued wide receiving corps in need of an overhaul. That revamp could start here. The Chiefs can recoup about $12 million of the $14 million Valdes-Scantling is currently on the books for by cutting him, a decision that could free K.C. for an upgrade elsewhere.

Tre'Davious White, CB—Buffalo Bills

Buffalo is only slightly better positioned than New Orleans in the "Salary Cap Help Wanted" department. The Bills currently stand about $55 million over the cap, and parting with White—the first draft pick of the Sean McDermott era—may be a painful yet needed move to save $6 million in cap space. The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback tore his ACL two seasons ago and is coming back from a torn Achilles tendon in 2023. Per The Athletic, the Bills owe White a $1.5 million roster bonus once the new league year begins, so the time to make a cut is now.

Mike Williams, WR—Los Angeles Chargers

Major roster decisions may be looming in an offseason of change for the Chargers. Jim Harbaugh and Jim Hortiz have taken over head coach and general manager duties for the Bolts, and some salary cap gymnastics are probably high up on their initial to-do list. The franchise restructured the contracts of Williams, as well as other veterans Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack last offseason, which inflated their 2024 cap hits, per The Athletic. And now it's time to face each contract again. Those four players account for nearly 60 percent of the team's 2024 space, per Over the Cap. Keeping all four in the building again seems like a long shot, and Williams could be the most obvious player to part with among them.

Williams, who turns 30 in October, is coming off a torn ACL and carries the second-highest cap hit among wide receivers (behind only Allen) going into next season ($32.5 million), according to Spotrac. The Chargers would save $20 million in cap room by cutting him.

Russell Wilson, QB—Denver Broncos

The writing hasn't just been on the wall for this one, it's practically been broadcast around the league like an advertisement on that Las Vegas sphere.

Wilson's benching toward the end of his second season in Denver was reported to be financially motivated, and if the relationship between the two sides is at a point of no return—or if Sean Payton just wants a new signal-caller moving forward—a cut could be the answer. Only a few years removed from a blockbuster trade and lucrative extension, the Broncos could cut their losses and take on an $85 million dead cap hit by releasing Wilson, per USA Today. That, unlike other moves on the list, comes with no salary cap savings. It would, however, allow both sides a fresh start, which could also come via trade.