Welcome to the seventh installment of the cap casualty series, in which we will focus on the NFC South division. The Atlanta Falcons currently have ($11.02 million), the Carolina Panthers have $21.25 million, the New Orleans Saints have ($54.11 million), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have ($2.12 million) cap space. Since each team doesn’t have that much cap space to work with, they have at least one contract they would like to eliminate.
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 will be more on players who have not lived up to their contracts, battled injuries, and have less of an impact on the team rather than someone who is cut because they have a high cap hit.
Without further ado, here are the cap casualties for the NFC South.
Also Read: Predicting Each NFC East Team’s Most Likely Cap Casualty for 2025, Predicting Each NFC North Team’s Most Likely Cap Casualty for 2025
Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins
- Contract: 4-years, $180,000,000 (2028 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $40,000,000
- Cap Savings Post-June 1st: $0 ($40,000,000 dead cap for 2025 and $25,000,000 for 2026)
First, the Kirk Cousins experiment did not work out in Atlanta. He has not been the same player he once was since sustaining an Achilles tear during the 2023 season and having zero mobility because of it. Cousins completed 303 out of 453 pass attempts for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, with a 7-7 record. The Falcons benched him in Week 16 in favor of Michael Penix Jr., who started their final three games.
Second, since Cousins lost the starting job, the Falcons simply can not justify keeping him with his $27.5 million base salary and $40 million cap hit. Penix Jr. has proven that he will be the starting quarterback next season, and keeping Cousins as the backup is highly unlikely.
Carolina Panthers: Shy Tuttle
- Contract: 3-years, $19,500,000 (2026 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $9,381,668
- Cap Savings: $3,275,000 ($6,106,668 dead cap)
First, Shy Tuttle has not lived up to the contract. Tuttle’s strength on defense is against the run, but he was a liability against the run this season. He recorded 13 run stops, the second-lowest in his career, while posting a 33.5 run defense grade, the lowest in his career, in a career-high 610 (56%) defensive snaps.
Second, Tuttle is one-dimensional and is a liability when it comes to rushing the passer. The veteran defensive tackle has not been known for his abilities as a pass rusher throughout his career, with two sacks and 16 pressures being his career-high in 2019. He failed to register a sack and had a measly four pressures, the lowest of his career.
New Orleans Saints: Ryan Ramczyk
- Contract: 5-years, $96,000,000 (2027 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $12,338,321
- Cap Savings Post-June 1st: $1,255,000 ($11,083,321 dead cap for 2025 and $11,983,324 for 2026)
First, Ryan Ramczyk is expected to retire this offseason. Ramczyk has battled a cartilage defect in his left knee ever since the 2021 season. Although his last offseason surgery was initially deemed successful, the All-Pro right tackle experienced complications in his left knee and missed the entire 2024 season as a result.
Second, the Saints restructured his contract in early January to provide immediate cap relief and to process his retirement as a post-June 1st cut designation. As salary cap expert Jason Fitzgerald pointed out, the Saints eliminated/reduced his $18 million base salary to $1.255 million, while his cap hit dropped from $29 million to $12.33 million for 2025, freeing $16.745 million in cap space.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jordan Whitehead
- Contract: 2-years, $9,000,000 (2026 Free Agent)
- Cap Hit: $4,500,000
- Cap Savings: $4,500,000
First, the 2024 season was not very friendly to Jordan Whitehead. Whitehead struggled in pass defense this season, failing to register an interception, with a career-low three pass deflections and allowing 307 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a 125.5 passer rating in coverage. The veteran safety missed Weeks 13-16 with a torn pectoral muscle and returned for Week 17 but missed Week 18 and the Wild Card with a cervical fracture in his neck after being involved in a car accident.
Second, since the Buccaneers don’t have much cap space to re-sign players or acquire free agents, cutting Whitehead would free up $4.5 million. They won’t incur any dead cap because his contract does not have any guaranteed money remaining.
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