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NFL players often get cut from their current teams for a number of reasons. Some of the more common factors are a combination of contract situations, age of the player, level of recent production and quality of potential replacements.
Running backs have one of the shortest life spans in the NFL. They often peak early in their careers and move past their prime at a relatively young age. This makes them candidates to, sometimes, be cut from their rosters before their contract expires. Here are three running backs who could potentially be cut following the 2022 NFL season.
3 RBs who could potentially be cut from their teams following the 2022 NFL season
#1 - Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones' contract situation with the Green Bay Packers makes him a very likely candidate to be cut following the 2022 NFL season. He carries a cap hit of $5.9 million in 2022, which jumps to a massive $20 million for the 2023 season.
Cutting Jones prior to the start of the 2023 season could save the Packers up to $16 million in cap space. They also already have a quality back-up running back in AJ Dillon, who rushed for 803 yards and five touchdowns last season.
#2 - Ezekiel Elliot, Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliot is one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL as he is set to make more than $18 million for the 2022 season. Cutting him now makes no financial sense for the Dallas Cowboys, as it would result in more than $30 million in dead cap money and would not give them any salary cap relief.
The potential for the Cowboys in Elliot's contract comes at the conclusion of the 2022 season. His dead cap number would drop below $12 million, and it would also save the Cowboys up to $11 million in salary cap space. Tony Pollard is one of the best back-up running backs in the league and could potentially take over as the starter in 2023.
#3 - Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
It's possible that Joe Mixon is running out of time with the Cincinnati Bengals. He only has guaranteed money left on his contract in 2022 and 2023 before potentially becoming a free agent. There is also a club option built in for the 2024 NFL season worth more than $13 million.
The Bengals could also save more than $10 million in cap space by cutting Mixon after the 2022 season with just $5.5 million in dead cap spread across two years. He is a key part of their offense, so potentially cutting him would be more of a financial move for the Bengals.
