6 Trades That NFL Teams Can Make for Cap Space Relief

The beginning of the 2026 NFL league year is just days away. And for some teams, 4 p.m. ET on March 11 is a time and date that looms large on the calendar.

The salary cap for the 2026 season has been set at a little over $301 million. For some that's an issue—10 teams are over that number already at the time this was written per Over the Cap.

That financial reality will result in a dizzying flurry of moves over the next week or so. Contracts will be restructured. Some veteran players will be shown the door and released. But there's an alternative to releasing players outright that can get the team at least some compensation—a trade.

Not every team included in this piece necessarily needs to trade a high-priced starter—some have plenty of wiggle room under the cap. But for whatever reason, each of the players listed here has been the subject of trade speculation.

And every one would create a lot of cap space teams can use to address other needs, including getting into compliance with this year's salary ceiling.

Arizona Cardinals Trade QB Kyler Murray

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Pittsburgh Steelers Get: QB Kyler Murray, 2027 Round 5 Pick

Arizona Cardinals Get: 2026 Round 5 Pick, 2027 Round 6 Pick

There hasn't been a player in the NFL who has been mentioned in more trade chatter this offseason than Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.

While speaking to reporters at the combine, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said the team isn't ruling anything out with the 28-year-old two-time Pro Bowler.

"I'd say all options are on the table for us," Ossenfort said. "When you have the kind of year that we had, there's a lot of room for improvement, and so we got to find a way to do that, not only at that position, in all positions, but that's what we're all focused on, is getting better and moving forward."

Between Murray's recent struggles and the five-year, $230.5 million contract he signed in 2022, his trade value isn't especially high. In fact, it's entirely possible that the Redbirds would have to take on some of Murray's salary to make a deal happen. But in a vacuum, trading Murray would clear $34.7 million off the books.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it clear the team has no ambition to rebuild under new head coach Mike McCarthy. If Aaron Rodgers decides to hang them up, the Steelers will be left with Mason Rudolph and Will Howard under center.

It's hard to argue against Murray being an upgrade over both of those players, and the Steelers haven't been shy about taking stabs at veteran reclamation projects at the position in recent years.

Pittsburgh Steelers Deal EDGE T.J. Watt

AP Photo/Erin Hooley

San Francisco 49ers Get: EDGE T.J. Watt, 2027 Round 3 Pick

Pittsburgh Steelers Get: 2027 Round 1 Pick

There was a time when the idea of trading edge-rusher T.J. Watt would seem like blasphemy in the Steel City. But Watt is coming off an injury-marred season in which he logged the second-fewest sacks of his career, he turns 32 in October and fellow edge-rusher Nick Herbig is entering a contract year.

Those circumstances raise the possibility the Steelers could shop Watt, but while making a radio appearance Ray Fittiplado of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette allowed that finding a taker for Watt's massive contract could be tricky.

"I do think Omar will at least throw some feelers out there and see if anyone is interested in T.J., but it's a big ticket. That contract is structured in such a way that it's 42 million each and every year," Fittipaldo said. "I can count on one hand the number of teams who are probably willing to do that."

The San Francisco 49ers could be one of those teams—the Niners are in win-now mode, were dead last in the league in sacks last year and the team's top two pass-rushers are both returning from ACL tears.

The key to this deal could be patience—if the Steelers wait until after June 1 to trade Watt, the amount of money the team saves under the cap in 2026 balloons from $12 million to $32 million.

The question is whether that extra $20 million in wiggle room would be worth waiting until next year to receive pick compensation.

Las Vegas Raiders Trade Edge Maxx Crosby

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

New England Patriots Get: Edge Maxx Crosby, 2027 Round 4 Pick

Las Vegas Raiders Get: 2026 Round 1 Pick, 2027 Round 2 Pick, Edge Harold Landry III

While we're considering elite edge-rushers…

To be clear, the Las Vegas Raiders don't need cap space—per Over the Cap only the Tennessee Titans currently possess more wiggle room than Raiders' $89 million and change. General manager John Spytek also told reporters that the Raiders aren't especially interested in trading their best defender.

"Maxx is an elite player," Spytek said. "I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we're in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them. It's hard to build a great team without elite players … Maxx and I have a great relationship. He's in the building every day, getting healthy right now. We talk on the phone, we text. I have a great relationship with Maxx."

However, there has been speculation that Crosby isn't interested in another rebuild, and it's possible that he makes things uncomfortable enough in Vegas that the Raiders decide to get the best deal they can and shave another $35 million-plus off the cap.

The Raiders aren't getting a Micah Parsons package for Crosby—the former is both younger and more prolific rushing the passer. But a first, a Day 2 pick in 2027 and a proven pass-rusher on a much lower contract isn't a bad haul, and the reigning AFC champs may be willing to push their chips into the center of the table in 2026.

Bears Deal LB Tremaine Edmunds

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Tennessee Titans Get: LB Tremaine Edmunds, 2027 Round 5 Pick

Chicago Bears Get: 2026 Round 4 Pick, 2027 Round 6 Pick

The Chicago Bears are coming off their best regular season since 2018—11 wins, an NFC North title and a win in the playoffs. But they head into 2026 about $6.5 million upside-down against the salary cap, and ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote from the scouting combine that the team has given veteran inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds permission to seek a trade.

"One player who has strong trade value and a decent chance to be dealt is Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds," he said. "The Titans, Raiders and Giants are among teams interested in high-end linebackers, and they like Edmunds, who's only 27 despite eight years in the league. He was granted permission to seek a trade earlier this week."

Edmunds logged 112 total tackles last year, but given that he's entering the last year of the four-year, $72 million contract he signed in 2023 and his cap hit this season of $17.4 million, he's not going to land a windfall in a trade. This is essentially a salary dump—one that would clear $15 million in cap space for the Bears.

Cedric Gray logged a whopping 164 total stops last year for the Titans, but Cody Barton was a major disappointment in his first year in Nashville. Edmunds would offer the team a significant upgrade at the position, and Tennessee has more than enough cap space to absorb his salary.

Colts Trade WR Michael Pittman Jr.

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Buffalo Bills Get: WR Michael Pittman Jr., 2026 Round 6 Pick

Indianapolis Colts Get: WR Keon Coleman, 2026 Round 5 Pick

The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a roller-coaster season that started with great promise and ended in great disappointment.

Now, with quarterback Daniel Jones, wide receiver Alec Pierce and edge-rusher Kwity Paye all set to hit free agency and the team sitting on just $33.2 million in cap space, there are some tough decisions that need to be made.

Per ESPN's Bill Barnwell, dealing wideout Michael Pittman Jr. may be one of them.

"I'm not sure Chris Ballard can afford to pay Pittman and Pierce north of $21 million per year," he said. "If the Colts want to keep Pierce, moving on from Pittman will probably be part of that equation."

Pittman hasn't been as productive the past two seasons as he was earlier in his career, but the seventh-year veteran has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons on his NFL resume. Even if he's not the true "alpha" wideout the Buffalo Bills so badly need, he'd be a sizable upgrade to the team's passing-game weapons. He'd also likely be amenable to an extension that would drop his cap hit in 2026.

The Bills get a badly-needed offensive boost. The Colts save a whopping $24 million against the cap and add a young wideout in Keon Coleman who has zero future in Buffalo.

It's the sort of trade that makes so much sense that there's next to no chance it actually happens.

Packers Send OG Elgton Jenkins Packing

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Los Angeles Chargers Get: OG Elgton Jenkins

Green Bay Packers Get: 2026 Round 4 Pick

This last trade isn't especially exciting, but it would likely have Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert doing cartwheels.

Simply put, the offensive line for the Bolts was poor in 2025. Yes, injuries to tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater played a part. But the interior of the league's third-worst offensive line was also dreadful—left guard Zion Johnson was consistently below average, and right guard Mekhi Becton allowed pressure on 8.6 percent of pass plays—the worst rate in the league among guards.

Meanwhile, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Green Bay Packers have floated veteran guard Elgton Jenkins as a potential offseason trade candidate. Green Bay is $4.1 million over the 2026 salary cap, and shipping out or releasing the 30-year-old would save the Pack over $19.5 million against the cap.

Jenkins' injury-shortened 2025 season wasn't great. But he was playing center as opposed to his natural position of left guard, and the eighth-year veteran has made a pair of Pro Bowls over his time at Titletown.

The Chargers are already running low on draft capital after making some other deals—the team has just five picks pending the awarding of compensatory selections. But dealing a pick in the back half of Round 4 is still a smart play for a Chargers team that is both a playoff contender and has the cap space ($85.5 million) to absorb Jenkins' contract.