5 Post-June 1 Moves That NFL Teams Should Make Before Training Camp

General managers around the NFL opened the 2025 offseason by handling free-agent additions and departures before continuing to reshape their rosters during April's draft.

Now that the calendar has flipped to June, it's time for clubs to make some more moves.

As of Monday, teams are free to release players who would have been financially imprudent to cut in the earlier portions of the offseason.

By designating a player as a post-June 1 cut, franchises won't incur all the dead money from their deal during the upcoming season and can instead spread it out over multiple years. Teams can also orchestrate trades and receive similar cost-saving benefits.

With OTAs set to wrap up in the coming days, it’s an ideal time to make these adjustments with the goal of fielding the best possible roster for training camp.

Regardless of whether their team needs to free up roster spots, cash or some combination of these factors, more veterans will be cut or traded over the next month.

If they’ve regressed in skill, been overtaken on the depth chart or simply have a salary that is too much of a burden for their current employer, these names will at least get an opportunity to catch on with another club before the campaign starts.

With that in mind, here’s a look at five post-June 1 moves that teams should make before training camp kicks off in July.

Salary-cap data courtesy of OverTheCap.com

Atlanta Falcons: Trade Kirk Cousins to New Orleans Saints

AP

The Atlanta Falcons and Kirk Cousins are at an impasse, one that can only seemingly be solved by cutting or trading the veteran quarterback.

While there have been no indications that the Falcons plan to do either at this juncture, both options became far more fiscally responsible this week.

There was simply no chance Atlanta could have released the 36-year-old prior to June 1 due to the $75 million dead cap charge and lack of immediate savings.

It's slightly more palatable to take that path now, as that dead cap hit drops to $50 million, but it's unlikely the franchise will opt for that route.

A trade is the most realistic option to set Cousins free. Prior to June 1, it would have cost the club $37.5 million in dead money against a meager $2.5 million in cap savings, but orchestrating a swap now provides a far more appealing $27.5 million in immediate cap room against a cap hit of $12.5 million.

Several teams are still in the market for a quarterback after a flurry of signal-callers changed hands on the open market and entered the league in the draft.

While the Pittsburgh Steelers have a glaring hole under center, it appears Aaron Rodgers will soon step in to fill the void. That leaves the New Orleans Saints as the most likely suitor, a team that sticks out as particularly desperate following the retirement of Derek Carr.

Carr's departure leaves the Saints with a quarterbacks room led by second-round rookie Tyler Shough and 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler.

Neither represents a realistic path towards contending, something New Orleans could still be capable of with the right QB in new head coach Kellen Moore's system.

Green Bay Packers: Cut Jaire Alexander

The Green Bay Packers have been trending towards a breakup with longtime cornerback Jaire Alexander for some time.

After trying and failing to trade the 28-year-old during this year's draft, they may want to just release him rather than continue dragging the saga out.

While the Packers would have structured any trade agreement to occur after June 1 (giving the team $17 million in instant cap relief against a $7.5 million dead money hit, rather than reversing those figures in a pre-June 1 move), the team could not find a taker for the talented but injury-prone defensive back.

Green Bay was also facing the same $17.1 million dead money/$7.5 million savings split if it cut Alexander before June, but it now has the option to outright release him for far more significant savings.

This immediate relief frees up more cash to spend on free agents ahead of training camp.  

While the franchise brass has reportedly put a restructured deal on the table for the 2018 first-round pick, he hasn't been amenable to it. He still has two years remaining on the then-record four-year, $84 million extension he signed in 2022, a deal agreed to ahead of his second and most recent Pro Bowl campaign.

Injuries have been the unfortunate story of his career since 2023, though, and he has suited up for just 14 of a possible 34 games in that span.

Given Alexander also missed 13 games in 2021, it's time for Green Bay to move on and get a fresh start with younger, healthier backups such as rookie Micah Robinson and Carrington Valentine stepping into bigger roles.

Miami Dolphins: Deal Tyreek Hill to Baltimore Ravens

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Tyreek Hill's time with the Miami Dolphins could come to a quicker end than expected.

While the 31-year-old only recently restructured his deal—reworking it this past fall into a three-year, $90 million contract that runs through the 2026 campaign—he made clear he wasn't happy at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

While the fences have since been mended between the two parties, a split isn't off the table.

Although it was far from the main cause of a lackluster season for Miami, Hill's regression in 2024 played a role in the team missing the playoffs for the first time in two years.

The eight-time Pro Bowler went from chasing the NFL single-season receiving record and earning a pair of All-Pro nods during his first two campaigns in South Beach to failing to breach 1,000 yards and catching just 81 balls—his lowest marks since an injury-shortened 2019 season.

Now on the wrong side of 30, the Dolphins could give serious consideration to moving on from Hill, an outcome Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes may be in the cards.

Unfortunately, Miami's options are limited as a post-June 1 trade would be the only way the club does not incur a hefty dead cap charge and can get some immediate cap room freed up.

Prior to this week, dealing Hill would have netted over $28 million in dead money and offered no cap savings. Now that it's after June 1, the team can ship him to a receiver-needy squad and immediately open $15 million in cap space while taking just $12.7 in dead money on.

Finding a taker—especially one willing to cough up fair market value for one of the best receivers of this generation—won't be easy, but the Baltimore Ravens could be desperate enough to give up a mid-round pick for Hill's services.

Baltimore came up short in the playoffs yet again last year despite finding great regular-season success after acquiring another aging star in Derrick Henry.

The Ravens could add some much-needed firepower to the receiving corps by dealing for Hill, a player who could provide immense return on investment if the Dolphins are willing to deal him cheap.

New York Giants: Sign Shaq Mason

FR121174 AP

The New York Giants are forging ahead with Russell Wilson under center to open the year, but there's a strong possibility rookie Jaxson Dart could see significant action in 2025.

In order to ensure Zach Wilson has a fair shake to show he can still play at a high level and position Dart for a successful rookie campaign should he usurp the current QB1, Big Blue should dip into the free-agent pool and grab a proven veteran offensive lineman.

Shaq Mason is one of the better guards still available on the open market following his release from the Houston Texans. Designated as a post-June 1 cut, his departure saved the Texans approximately $2 million in cap space.

While the 31-year-old has yet to catch on with another squad, the G-Men shouldn’t hesitate to kick the tires on him during training camp.

Mason was a 2015 fourth-round pick by the New England Patriots and spent the first seven seasons with the organization. He was a fixture at right guard for the team and continued in that role during his sole campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he did begin his rookie season on the left and played both positions during his two-year tenure in Houston.

The Georgia Tech product has been relatively healthy for much of his decade-long NFL career, participating in 152 games and logging over 90 percent of the offensive snaps in contests he was available for from his sophomore season on.

With the Giants missing out on the top free-agent prizes for the offensive trenches, they are largely set to run it back with a unit that PFSN ranked a concerning No. 28 in 2024. Their lone draft pick to address the O-line was fifth-rounder Marcus Mbow, who projects to sit behind right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor in 2025.

Right guard is a particular area of concern still, with the aging Greg Van Roten returning on a budget $3.3 million deal after testing a cool market.

Mason isn't a long-term answer for the position, but he could be a viable option if Van Roten continues to struggle.

Tennessee Titans: Ship Will Levis to Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo/George Walker IV

With their selection of Cam Ward at No. 1 overall this year, the Tennessee Titans have signaled the end of the Will Levis experiment.

The quarterback was taken near the top of Round 2 in 2023 but has largely underwhelmed through two unsuccessful seasons.

Tennessee still has the 25-year-old under contract at the low cost of approximately $1 million per year for each of the next two seasons, but it could look to recoup at least a small fraction of the draft capital it gave up to acquire him.

Moving Levis via a trade would also provide the Titans with a small modicum of cap relief now that June 1 has passed.

Dealing the Kentucky product prior to June would have come with a $2 million dead cap hit and just $633,000 in immediate cap relief. Flipping him now is a far more sensible option, as it incurs a meager $985,000 dead cap charge and provides instant cap savings of $1.6 million.

While there is some merit in retaining Levis as a backup, the team also has veterans Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle under contract.

Considering Levis' pedestrian career 61 percent completion rate with 3,899 passing yards and 21 touchdowns against 16 interceptions across 21 starts under two different head coaches, the Titans have seen enough to know he's not going to pan out for them.

Rather than keep him around to ride the pine with a bleak outlook, the Titans could ship Levis off to a team in need of a cheap, high-upside backup who could develop into a serviceable player down the line.

The Los Angeles Rams fit the bill, as their depth (Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett) behind the aging Matthew Stafford is concerning.

Levis could compete with Garoppolo for the No. 2 job in camp and might find a much-needed spark under the tutelage of creative head coach Sean McVay.