Every year, there are cap casualties in the NFL. Each team must make its financial assessments and then decide which players are worth keeping, and which need to be shown the door.
In 2015, the salary cap is expected to fall between $140 and $143 million when the league and the NFLPA finally agree sometime in mid-February. So which players are the most likely to hit the market?
Here are five well-known names to keep an eye on:
5. Jahri Evans
No team needs more relief than the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans is $23.2 million over the cap and can start to remedy the problem by cutting Evans. The 32-year-old is slated to make $11 million next season but could be a $6 million savings for the Saints if they cut him. Considering how much work general manager Mickey Loomis has ahead of him simply to comply with the cap, Evans has almost no chance of returning.
4. Vernon Davis
Davis is coming off a miserable year with the San Francisco 49ers, scoring only two touchdowns while catching 26 passes for 245 yards. The 49ers are also over the projected cap by $2.7 million and considering Davis’ production, plus a regime change, he is in trouble. At 31 years old, Davis will become a nice target for a team hoping to milk another year or two out of him before retirement. However, nagging injuries have begun to mount on Davis, including back issues.
3. Tamba Hali
Hali is scheduled to make $11 million in 2015, and the Kansas City Chiefs could save $9 million by releasing him. Hali is a great player, but only recorded six sacks last season while fighting knee ailments. Hali has recently stated he would take less money to remain in Kansas City, but how much less? Justin Houston had 22 sacks for the Chiefs and needs a new deal, while Dee Ford is waiting to replace Hali after being drafted in the 2014 first round. Hali could definitely latch on elsewhere if cut, providing a veteran pass-rusher.
2. Larry Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald has enjoyed a tremendous career with the Arizona Cardinals, but those days are coming to a close. The Cardinals have a ton of massive contracts on the books, including Calais Campbell, Patrick Peterson and Carson Palmer. Keeping Fitzgerald is simply too costly for a team $$9.4 over the threshold. Fitzgerald is still production and could have a resurgence with better quarterback play, but he hasn’t notched an 1,000-yard season since 2011. Should Arizona make Fitzgerald a post-June 1 cut, it would save $16.25 million.
1. Adrian Peterson
Peterson would have never been in consideration for a release without getting involved in a child abuse case. The legal issues put him on the commissioner’s exempt list in 2014, costing him 15 games. The Minnesota Vikings don’t absolutely need the cap space, but could save $13 million by cutting Peterson. Most running backs fall off a cliff production-wise after 30 years old, which Peterson will be in March. Considering the talent at the running back position coming out in the draft, Peterson is on thin ice.
