Welcome to the third installment of the cap casualty series, which we will be focusing on the AFC South division. The Houston Texans currently have ($238,955), the Indianapolis Colts have $28.47 million, the Jacksonville Jaguars have $35.26 million, and the Tennessee Titans have $44.20 million cap space. Even though the cap will increase this offseason, teams like the Texans are in the red, while the Colts, Jaguars, and Titans have more cap to work with, but each team still has one contract they would like to eliminate. Without further ado, here are the cap casualties for the AFC South.
Note: All information regarding contracts and cap space has been derived from Spotrac and Over The Cap. Also, if a player’s name is in italics, the team doesn’t necessarily have a definitive player who is considered a cap casualty. Finally, the focus is more on players who don’t live up to their contracts and also have less of an impact on the team rather than someone who is cut because they have a high cap hit.
Also Read: Predicting Each AFC East Team’s Most Likely Cap Casualty for 2025, Predicting Each AFC North Team’s Most Likely Cap Casualty for 2025
Houston Texans: Shaq Mason
- Contract: 3-years, $36,000,000 (2027 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $14,599,176
- Cap Savings Pre-June 1st: $2,117,176 ($12,482,000 dead cap)
- Cap Savings Post-June 1st: $9,441,176 ($5,158,000 dead cap for 2025 and $7,324,000 for 2026)
First, Shaq Mason arguably had his worst statistical season as a pro during the 2024 season. He surrendered 34 pressures, 21 hurries, five QB hits, and eight sacks, posting a 65.2 pass block (third-lowest), a 57.7 run block (lowest), and a 62.3 overall PFF grade (second-lowest in his career). He also missed two regular-season and one postseason game due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain.
Second, given his age—he will turn 32 in August—and him coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro, Mason’s $10 million base salary and $14,599,176 cap hit for 2025, don’t justify the Texans, who are currently over the cap, to keep him around for another season. The team is better off signing a veteran player to a cheaper contract or drafting his replacement in the upcoming draft.
Indianapolis Colts: Raekwon Davis
- Contract: 2-years, $14,000,000 (2026 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $8,960,000
- Cap Savings: $6,460,000 ($2,500,000 dead cap)
First, Raekwon Davis hasn’t lived up to his contract and the expectation that he would be a reliable run-stopper and rotational interior defensive lineman for the Colts. He didn’t help with their run-defense woes, as they finished the year allowing the ninth-most rushing yards. Davis posted a career-low four run stops in a career-low 30% of defensive snaps.
Second, given his poor performance in 2024 and the team’s expectation that DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart will return as the starting defensive tackles for next season, the Colts cannot justify Davis’s $4.98 million base salary and $8.96 million cap hit.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Reynolds
- Contract: 2-years, $9,000,000 (2026 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $4,260,000
- Cap Savings: $4,260,000
First, Josh Reynolds could not carve out a substantial role on offense after the Jaguars claimed him off waivers to provide depth to an already injury-depleted wide receiver position that lost Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis to season-ending injuries. Reynolds caught one pass on five targets for 11 yards in the last four weeks of the regular season.
Second, since the Jaguars expect Kirk and Davis to be healthy for the offseason, Reynolds will not likely compete for the starting position, leaving his roster spot in jeopardy. Also, paying a number four wide receiver $4.26 million isn’t justifiable, especially for a team currently rebuilding. Ultimately, it will be up to the new general manager and coaching staff to determine whether he’s worth keeping.
Tennessee Titans: Nicholas Petit-Frere
- Contract: 4-years, $5,455,741 (2026 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $3,564,129
- Cap Savings: $3,325,000 ($239,129 dead cap)
First, Nicholas Petit-Frere has not lived up to the expectations for being the Titans’ long-term starting right tackle of the future. Even though Petit-Frere started ten of 15 games, and they benched him, he allowed one of the most pressures, hurries, and sacks among offensive tackles this season. He surrendered 41 pressures, 26 hurries, five QB hits, and ten sacks while posting a 42.8 pass blocking and a 46.5 overall PFF grade. He allowed the eighth-most pressures, the thirteenth-most hurries, the seventeenth-most QB hits, the second-most sacks, the lowest pass block, and the second-lowest grade among qualified offensive tackles who have played at least 50% of offensive snaps (h/t PFF).
Second, the Titans should look to sign a veteran offensive tackle in free agency or draft one in the upcoming draft. The team should have plenty of cap space to bring in a starting-caliber right tackle. If they decide not to sign one, they could draft one with their second or one of their two picks in the fourth round.
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