Jaire Alexander Might Not be the Last Star Veteran Cut This NFL Offseason

The Green Bay Packers made headlines Monday when they announced the release of Jaire Alexander. While the cornerback is the latest in a series of impact veterans to be cut since the start of the new league year, he won’t be the last this offseason.

With teams able to carry up to 90 players for camp and needing to pare down to an active roster size of 53 by August 26, it’s only a matter of time before more stars hit the open market.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest names who are in danger of being released in the coming months.  

RB Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Travis Etienne Jr. has endured a painful fall from grace over the last few seasons.

After having his rookie season derailed by a season-ending injury, the first-rounder finally made his debut for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 and went on to post the first of two consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

While Etienne saw his yards per carry average drop from 5.1 in 2022 to 3.8 in 2023, he made up for that lack of efficiency with a career-high 11 touchdowns and increased usage in the passing game.

There was little to redeem his paltry performance last year.

The 26-year-old struggled during the 15 games he was available for, posting career-low numbers of 558 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 150 carries. His reception numbers dwindled as well, resulting in him reeling in just 39 balls for 254 yards—222 yards and 19 fewer catches than the previous season.

With 2023 third-rounder Tank Bigsby pushing for more work and a pair of rookies in fourth-rounder Bhayshul Tuten and seventh-rounder LeQuint Allen Jr. now hungry to impress a new regime that has no ties to Etienne’s Day 1 selection four years ago, it’s going to be a make-or-break camp for the veteran going into the final year of his contract.

QB Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

The Cleveland Browns brought in Joe Flacco two years ago and immediately inserted him into their starting lineup, desperate to save a season that was quickly going off the rails.

The 40-year-old is now back in the mix after a short stint with the Indianapolis Colts didn't go nearly as well.

Flacco earned Comeback Player of the Year honors for an impressive 4-1 run that resulted in a playoff berth for the Browns, but his second tenure with the organization could be finished before he even gets a chance to suit up for a single game.

When the Browns signed Flacco to a one-year, $4 million contract in early April, it seemed he would be going heads-up in training camp with Kenny Pickett—the first-round pick-turned-journeyman who the club traded for a month prior—for the starting QB role vacated by an injured Deshaun Watson.

That positional competition has since morphed into a four-way battle featuring a pair of rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, two intriguing young talents who may not only push Flacco way down the depth chart but also off the roster.

Unless the Browns want to carry four healthy quarterbacks into the regular season, it’s likely one will be sent packing before Week 1. If Flacco doesn’t win the competition—which is possible given he’s the co-favorite alongside Pickett for the distinction—it makes little sense to allocate a coveted roster spot to a 40-year-old backup with zero upside remaining in his career.

RB Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Antonio Gibson has gone from the cusp of stardom to a fighting to earn a roster spot in the span of a few seasons.

Since breaking out by posting 1,331 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns during a sophomore campaign for the Washington Commanders in 2021, he has seen his production steadily dwindle before quietly signing with the New England Patriots in free agency last spring.

While Gibson had an opportunity to rehabilitate his career with a Pats squad desperate for playmakers in their backfield, he only managed to put up 538 yards and one score on his 120 totes and caught a pedestrian 23 passes for 206 yards.

Considering Gibson was already working as a distant second option behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson (who logged 62 percent of the offensive snaps in 2024 compared to Gibson's 33 percent), it's going to be tough for the sixth-year back to carve out any sort of meaningful role in 2025.

With the Patriots landing hyped running back prospect TreVeyon Henderson early on Day 2 of the draft—the second pick new head coach Mike Vrabel's regime made after offensive lineman Will Campbell—it's looking like the Patriots will forge ahead with a combination of Henderson and Stevenson handling the bulk of backfield duties.

Although he still has two years remaining on the three-year, $11.25 million deal he signed, Gibson's release would only result in $2.18 million in dead money while opening $2.33 million in immediate cap savings.

New England could keep Gibson around as a highly paid third-stringer, but it may opt to save some cash and open the roster spot if free-agency addition Trayveon Williams or undrafted rookie Lan Larison shows promise in camp.

QB Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/David Becker

The Las Vegas Raiders finally found a reliable quarterback this offseason. While it didn't come in the form of drafting a much-needed franchise passer to build around, they traded for a two-time Pro Bowler in Geno Smith who can run new head coach Pete Carroll's offense for the next few seasons.

The acquisition of Smith could spell the end of Aidan O'Connell's up-and-down tenure in the Silver and Black.

O'Connell is expendable despite showing some real potential as a rookie in 2023. He was elevated above Jimmy Garoppolo by then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce and wound up making 10 starts that season, going a decent 5-5 in those contests while completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 2,218 yards and 12 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

However, it was clear the 26-year-old wasn't a long-term answer last year after he failed to beat out Gardner Minshew II for the QB1 role in training camp. While O'Connell did eventually take back over for the injured and ineffective starter, he went just 2-5 in his seven starts and failed to spark the team's slumping offense.

While the Raiders could keep O'Connell around as a backup until his rookie deal expires after the 2026 season, Carroll might want to elevate Cam Miller—a hand-picked sixth-round rookie—to the QB2 role.

Miller has far more upside at this stage of his career. While Smith isn't a major risk to miss time—he's been sidelined for just two games since emerging as a starter for the Seahawks in 2022—the team would be better off getting the North Dakota State product some reps in his absence and seeing if he has potential over slogging through a lost campaign with O'Connell at the reins.

RB D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The Chicago Bears overhauled their offensive identity this offseason, signing and drafting a slew of talent to augment quarterback Caleb Williams.

While they added key pieces in the trenches, receiving corps and at tight end, the Bears' beleaguered running back platoon only saw a single seventh-round pick join the fray.

Despite Kyle Monangai being the lone notable backfield addition, Chicago could still opt to move on from incumbent starter D'Andre Swift this offseason.

Swift has struggled since coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles last year. After breeching the 1,000-yard rushing mark and averaging a steady 4.6 yards per carry in 2023, he only mustered 959 yards on his 253 totes—a concerning 3.8 YPC average.

Although his best contributions arguably come in the passing attack, he didn't move the needle much in that area, either. While he did put up 386 yards on 42 receptions, he failed to score and was well off the career-high marks of 62 catches for 452 yards he set in his second professional season.

Swift was able to retain a stranglehold on the RB1 duties (he was on the field for 66 percent of the offensive snaps) largely because of a lack of competent players behind him on the depth chart last season.

Primary backup Roschon Johnson seems like a draft bust after the 2023 fourth-rounder mustered just 150 yards on his 55 carries. While he did vulture six touchdowns despite only earning a 28 percent snap share, it was a concerning step back from his 81-tote, 352-yard, two-touchdown rookie campaign.

Monangai represents a chance for actual competition this offseason. While expectations aren't sky-high for a late-Day 3 pick, the Rutgers product has drawn comparisons to fellow Scarlet Knight Isiah Pacheco and could push Swift for touches with a strong camp.

With Swift having cap hits of $9.33 million and $8.83 million on the remaining two years of his deal, the Bears could push to deal the veteran and clear up some cap room. Cutting Swift is also be an option, especially if he's struggling in practice and the team can't find a taker on the trade market.

WR Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

The Los Angeles Chargers reunited with Mike Williams this offseason, bringing one of the franchise's most prolific touchdown creators back into the fold on a one-year, $3 million deal.

Although he racked up 4,806 yards and 31 scores on 309 receptions during his seven-year stint with the Bolts between 2017-23, he no longer appears to be the athletic deep threat he was earlier in his career.

The aging 6'4" wideout is now on the wrong side of 30 and coming off an abysmal campaign.

His nightmare 2024 began with him catching a meager 12 balls for 166 yards over nine games with the New York Jets before being shipped to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the trade deadline. Despite having the opportunity to thrive for a squad desperate for receiver help, he mustered just nine receptions for 132 yards and one touchdown in the back half of the season.

While the stakes are low given his cheap contract, Williams is going to have his work cut out trying to re-establish himself as one of quarterback Justin Herbert’s top targets. He’s now four seasons removed from the most recent of his two 1,000-yard receiving campaigns and has scored just five touchdowns in the last three years combined.

Factor in the presence of breakout rookie Ladd McConkey plus incoming draftees Tre Harris and Keandre Lambert-Smith, and it's even tougher to envision Williams making enough impact to warrant a roster spot in 2025.