6 Patriots Cap Casualty Cuts to Save Millions This Offseason

At a time when several teams are in a tough spot with the salary cap, the New England Patriots find themselves in great shape. Entering the offseason, they have a very low cap hit with more than $66 million available to spend.

Considering how poorly they performed in 2023, they’re going to need to spend a lot of that money in order to contend once again in the AFC East. They’re also not going to just pay players who are underperforming either, so that means they can clear up even more space. Here we look at the top six candidates to be cap casualties as the Patriots look to rebuild.

6. Lawrence Guy, DE

Pre-June 1 Savings: $3 Million
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $0.5 million
Post-June 1 Savings: $3 Million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $0.5 million

Lawrence Guy is a prototypical Bill Belichick player. He’s 33 years old, has been in the NFL for 12 seasons and is a solid starter, even if he’s an under-the-radar player. He began his career with the Indianapolis Colts back in 2012 (although he was originally drafted by Green Bay in the seventh-round). From there, he spent time in San Diego and Baltimore before finding a home in New England ahead of the 2017 season.

Guy re-signed for four years in 2021 and while his contract is a fair $11.5 million overall, the Patriots could free up another $3 million if they decided to release him ahead of his final season. The cap hit would be a mere $500,000 making this a deal the front office will strongly consider as they aim to get younger on defense.