8 Notable Players Who Could Be Cut or Traded Immediately After the 2024 NFL Draft

The NFL draft is an exciting time for teams and fans alike. An influx of rookie talent brings a sense of promise to fans while strengthening rosters around the league.

As new players come in, though, others must make room. That often leads to a second wave of free-agent and trade activity, as veterans are traded or wind up on the chopping block.

Sometimes, these veterans can be prolific. Last year, for example, the Minnesota Vikings dealt pass-rusher Za'Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns in May before releasing Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook in June.

Several factors can lead to a veteran being released or traded, including contract terms, salary-cap situations, organizational direction and new rookie additions.

With all of that in mind, let's examine some of the biggest names who are still candidates to be traded or released after the 2024 NFL draft.

The San Francisco 49ers have shown no interest in trading standout receiver Brandon Aiyuk. However, Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and San Francisco is "not close" to any kind of extension agreement, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

If the 49ers decide to take a receiver early in this month's draft—they took Western Kentucky's Malachi Corley in Round 2 of the latest Bleacher Report Scouting Department mock draft—they could become open to moving Aiyuk. We saw the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans make similar moves during the 2022 draft.

Baltimore and Tennessee traded Marquise Brown and A.J. Brown, respectively, while receiving first-round compensation in return. The Titans immediately replaced Brown with wideout Treylon Burks.

Aiyuk, who tallied 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, would undoubtedly bring an attractive return. His value may also be higher post-draft—especially to teams that missed out on drafting an elite receiver—than closer to the 2024 trade deadline.

If Aiyuk does go on the trade market, expect receiver-needy teams like the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers—who traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers earlier in the offseason—to have interest.

None of this means that the Niners will or should trade Aiyuk during the offseason. But if they cannot reach an extension by the end of April and do add another promising receiver on a rookie deal, Aiyuk could be on the move.

The Green Bay Packers have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, and they are just opening their playoff window. They are unlikely to trade away good, young players, but they could make some difficult financial decisions after the draft.

The Packers signed quarterback Jordan Love to a one-year extension last May, but he's now heading into the final year of his contract. They also have a whopping 11 picks in the 2024 draft and can throw multiple darts at an expensive position if they choose to replace a veteran.

Defensive tackle Kenny Clark is a player to keep an eye on. While Clark won't turn 29 until October, he's been with the Packers since 2016 and is entering the final year of his current contract. With defensive tackle deals skyrocketing—Derrick Brown just got a four-year, $96 million extension from the Carolina Panthers—a third contract for Clark could be mighty expensive.

The Packers might be able to find a trade partner for Clark if a team in need of defensive line help—like the Browns or Dallas Cowboys—misses out on that position in the draft. If Green Bay reloads enough along its defensive front, Clark could also become a cut candidate.

The Packers could save $17 million in 2024 cap space by releasing Clark with a post-June 1 designation.

The Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Tee Higgins are in a similar position to that of the San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk.

The Bengals franchise-tagged Higgins this offseason, and he and Cincinnati have yet to strike a long-term agreement. Higgins has also requested a trade from the Bengals.

Cincinnati won't be in a rush to trade a talented receiver like Higgins, who has two 1,000-yard campaigns in four seasons. However, it could make sense to go in a different direction at some point. No. 1 receiver Ja'Marr Chase is extension-eligible this offseason, and according to ESPN's Ben Baby, the Bengals haven't started negotiating with him.

Cincinnati could be more open to moving on from Higgins if it spends an early-round pick on his potential successor. The Bengals did exactly that in the B/R Scouting Department's latest mock draft, taking LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. in Round 1.

There's logic in that selection, as the Bengals have a recent history of drafting to replace impending free agents. Depending on whom Cincinnati lands to eventually replace Higgins, the Bengals may choose to go ahead and start the transition.

Higgins is a 25-year-old Pro Bowl-caliber talent, so he should draw a ton of interest from receiver-needy teams that miss out on draft day. The Arizona Cardinals could be interested as they look to put pieces around Kyler Murray. The Titans would also be worth watching since former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is now their head coach.

The Patriots are widely expected to take a quarterback at No. 3 overall, though it's not a guarantee. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently said on SportsCenter that "it's not even a slam dunk they take a quarterback right now" (h/t Bleacher Report's Joseph Zucker).

Regardless, the Patriots are rebuilding without quarterback Mac Jones and with a new head coach in Jerod Mayo. They could be convinced to sell off veteran assets, and pass-rusher Matthew Judon would be a logical trade target.

Juston is 31 years old, is coming off a torn biceps injury and is entering the last year of his current contract. Now would be a great time for New England to cash in if Judon draws enough interest to bring a strong trade return.

He should. When healthy in 2022, Judon racked up 15.5 sacks and an impressive 42 quarterback pressures.

If a playoff-ready team that lacks edge-rushing depth—like the Los Angeles Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers—doesn't land a new sack artist in the draft, they could come calling for Judon.

New England isn't likely to be a contender in 2024, but any decision regarding a Judon trade would be made easier if the Patriots do add an edge-rusher early on draft weekend.

The Minnesota Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency. After dealing for the Houston Texans' 23rd overall pick, Minnesota is widely expected to draft a new quarterback of the future or trade up to do so.

Minnesota landed Michigan's J.J. McCarthy at No. 11 overall (its own draft selection) in the latest B/R Scouting Department mock draft.

If the Vikings do draft a quarterback early, there's a good chance that journeyman quarterback Nick Mullens will be heading elsewhere. Minnesota signed Sam Darnold this offseason as a stopgap, and it took BYU's Jaren Hall in the fifth round of the 2023 draft.

While Mullens isn't a star on the same level as Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins or Matthew Judon, he's still a veteran quarterback with 20 starts on his resume and a respectable 88.1 career quarterback rating. We saw last season just how important quarterback depth can be, as teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets all lost their starters.

The 2024 draft class isn't particularly deep at quarterback, so teams that don't land a developmental or backup signal-caller could be interested in the experienced Mullens. For example, the Denver Broncos only have Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci on their depth chart, while the New York Jets could look to move off No. 3 quarterback Zach Wilson.

A lot will hinge on Minnesota finding its quarterback of the future during the draft, but Mullens could be expendable by the end of draft weekend.

The Cleveland Browns selected cornerback Greg Newsome II with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 draft. While Newsome has been a reliable starter for Cleveland when healthy, he's also heading into his fourth season and has been the subject of trade rumors.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry hasn't been keen on entertaining those rumors.

"I can't help what players come up in trading rumors," Berry said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "We have that every year, but we're pleased with Greg, anticipate him continuing to play a big role for us."

The Browns are paying Denzel Ward top-of-the-market money, and they appear to have found a gem in fellow cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. That has largely forced Newsome into a nickel role, and Cleveland may not want to give a big second contract to a nickel corner.

The Browns could also draft Newsome's replacement in 2024. They tend to value cornerbacks highly and likely won't hesitate to take one early if the value is right.

Cleveland used its second-round pick on Georgia's Kamari Lassiter in the latest B/R Scouting Department mock draft.

If the Browns are willing to move Newsome, he could be an attractive target for playoff-caliber teams post-draft. The San Francisco 49ers could be interested given their win-now window. So could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who traded Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions in the offseason.

Left tackle Cam Robinson has been a fairly reliable starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars when he's been on the field. However, he was suspended in 2023 for violating the league's PED policy and also battled a knee injury.

The suspension voided the guarantees on Robinson's contract. The 28-year-old is now entering the final year of that deal, and Jacksonville could save $17.3 million by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation.

Jacksonville likely won't move on from Robinson without a viable replacement. However, the Jags have already hosted Washington offensive tackle prospect Troy Fautanu, who could play either guard or tackle in the NFL.

If the Jaguars find their left tackle of the future in the draft, they could move Robinson for financial reasons. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be extension-eligible next offseason, so the Jags might look to roll over as much money as possible—they currently have $41.8 million in cap space.

The Jaguars could release Robinson as a cap casualty post-draft, but they might find a taker on the trade market. For example, the New York Jets could use insurance behind oft-injured left tackle Tyron Smith. The Kansas City Chiefs haven't re-signed left tackle Donovan Smith and could look to reunite Robinson with former Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Smith.

The New York Giants might move on from quarterback Daniel Jones during or after the 2024 draft. Regardless of what they do at quarterback, they need to find a legitimate No. 1-caliber receiver.

Veteran Darius Slayton has filled the No. 1 role in New York for several seasons, but he hasn't produced No. 1 numbers. He led the team with only 770 receiving yards in 2023.

If the Giants find their new No. 1 target in the draft, they could look to move on from Slayton. New York needs to make room for younger, higher-upside pass-catchers like Jalin Hyatt, Wan'Dale Robinson and any incoming rookies.

The Giants landed LSU's Malik Nabers in the latest B/R Scouting Department mock draft. Adding a receiver of Nabers' caliber could immediately push Slayton out of the starting lineup.

The Giants would save $3.8 million in 2024 cap space by trading or releasing Slayton. The Giants have only $7.4 million in cap space and could use the extra financial flexibility to address other needs.

Slayton wouldn't be a top target in almost any other offensive lineup. However, he'd be a fine complementary option for a team that lacks overall depth at the position like the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers or Arizona Cardinals.

*Cap and contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.