NFL 2022: Predicting one cap casualty for every team this offseason

With NFL free agency closing in on all 32 teams in the league, here is a potential cap casualty every team can make to free up cap space.

The NFL is a very cyclical league. After the Super Bowl wraps up, teams begin their in-house transactions. Among those moves, countless high-priced and under-utilized players are released in order to save cap space for free agency.

While every team doesn’t need to cut players to get under the cap, each team will want to find ways to open up more money to spend on additions to the team. Here is a potential cap casualty from every NFL team.

One cap casualty for every NFL team in the 2022 offseason

Arizona Cardinals

Potential Cap Casualty: Jordan Hicks

Jordan Hicks has been a consistently solid linebacker since making it to the NFL in 2015. He is a prototypical three-down off-ball linebacker that can play the run just as well as he can play the pass. He has enjoyed a productive three-year stint with the Cardinals, but due to his costs this offseason, he is a likely cap casualty.

Hicks’s pay won’t be the reason he is cut. While not a superstar by any means, Hicks is still a good linebacker in this league. That said, the Cardinals have made some significant investments in their linebacker room in recent years by way of Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins. Both are much younger and more athletic than Hicks, so both should be starting by next season. That would leave Hicks as the odd man out.

The Cardinals have tried to trade Hicks but to no avail so far. With him only having one year left on his deal, he is easily cuttable. Doing so saves the Cardinals 6.5 million dollars while also opening the door for their younger options to play. While there are some other, highly paid veterans that could see the door this offseason, Hicks makes the most sense for Arizona.