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

The NFL is a 365-day-a-year league in part because roster tinkering rarely stops. Fans and media members need to have their heads on a swivel waiting for the next move to come.

Transactions happen even during the dog days of summer, especially since a number of players have post-June 1 designations in their contracts that incentivize teams to make deals in what would typically be a dead period.

With the calendar about to turn to June, let’s dive into six moves that teams should make before training camp. Each team’s salary-cap situation and roster needs and each player’s contract are factored into these transactions, with an eye on the post-June 1 benefits.

The Jacksonville Jaguars overhauled their receiving corps this offseason, but they still need more help at cornerback.

The Jaguars’ top corner from last year, Darious Williams, signed with the Los Angeles Rams in free agency. While the Jags brought in Ronald Darby as a replacement, Darby isn’t the player he used to be after injury-plagued 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Denver Broncos.

The 30-year-old did have a solid campaign with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, allowing only 25 completions on 51 targets for a 72.2 passer rating when targeted during the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus. However, he was in more of a rotational role, as he made only seven starts.

Jacksonville’s second corner, Tyson Campbell, has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. He’s coming off a season where he gave up a 70 percent completion rate and 127.4 passer rating, per PFF.

The Jaguars currently have about $34.2 million in cap space, the third-most of any team. That’s more than enough to take on Marshon Lattimore’s $14.6 million cap hit, and he could help the Jags get back to being a Super Bowl contender like they were expected to be last year.

The New Orleans Saints would save only about $4 million in cap space this year with a post-June 1 trade of Lattimore, but they’d clear an additional $10.8 million in 2025. That’s huge for a team that’s already expected to begin next offseason nearly $85 million over the cap.

The Saints aren’t likely to be a Super Bowl contender this year, and their roster desperately needs to get younger. Dealing Lattimore now with three years left on his contract would maximize New Orleans’ return and help stockpile assets for the future.

Stephon Gilmore is still a free agent and made only $10 million per season on his last contract, so he’s likely willing to sign for a reasonable deal. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders have just over $17 million of cap space after signing all eight of their draft picks and giving star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby a $6 million raise last week.

However, the Raiders are going to get an additional $24 million of cap space once Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract comes off the books next week, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. So, they could be waiting to get more breathing room before adding another veteran, especially since they might be looking to extend a few in-house players who are coming up on contract years like Tre’von Moehrig and Malcolm Koonce.

Either way, the Silver and Black could use Gilmore to fortify their defense.

Jack Jones is currently expected to be the Raiders’ top outside cornerback this fall, but he’s made only five career starts heading into his third NFL season. On the other side, second-year pro Jakorian Bennett and six-year veteran Brandon Facyson are the leading candidates to win the starting job.

Bennett was a first-stringer at the beginning of last year but played his way onto the bench, while Facyson was injured for most of the campaign and played in only three games with zero starts. The latter has also been mostly a backup throughout his career, so there’s an opportunity for Gilmore to have a significant role in Las Vegas.

Most of the Raiders’ cornerbacks are still on their rookie contracts, so the meeting room could benefit from having a former Defensive Player of the Year in it.

In late April, Mike Klis of 9News reported that the Denver Broncos have “no plans to trade” wide receiver Courtland Sutton. However, Sutton has been absent from the Broncos’ OTAs so far, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the wideout is seeking a new contract (h/t Heavy.com’s Josh Buckhalter).

“[Sutton has] two years left on his deal but he has been staying away from Denver during their offseason workout, working out on his own in Florida. So he wants a bit of a raise here,” Fowler said on SportsCenter on May 18. “The Denver Broncos have been speaking with Sutton and his representatives. No real progress yet.”

Financially, it would make sense for the Broncos to trade Sutton after June 1. They’d be left with only a $3.8 million dead cap hit in both 2024 and 2025, but they’d get about $13.6 million in cap relief this season and $14 million next year. With only $8.7 million available, that would be a meaningful difference.

Denver is probably a year or two away from being a legitimate playoff contender. It would make sense to acquire draft picks for an aging player who wants a new contract, especially since the trade rumors will only intensify if the Broncos stumble out of the gates.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles have the fifth-most cap space available in the NFL right now at roughly $26.8 million. Also, free-agent signee DeVante Parker surprisingly retired in mid-May, and Parker was likely going to be the Eagles’ jump-ball specialist this season.

Sutton could fill that role and create a dangerous trio of wideouts with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith as Philadelphia attempts to make another Super Bowl run.

The Chicago Bears missed the playoffs in 2023 but they’re being widely discussed as a possible playoff team ahead of the 2024 season. That’s because they finished 7-10 last year and made several quality additions to their roster this offseason, headlined by No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.

They also traded for defensive end Montez Sweat and handed him an extension shortly thereafter. That almost immediately paid off, as Sweat led the team with six sacks despite playing in only nine games for Chicago. However, the defense could use another edge-rusher to play on the other side of him.

Justin Jones finished second on the team with 4.5 sacks, last season while Yannick Ngakoue was third with four. Jones signed with the Arizona Cardinals this spring, and Ngakoue is currently a free agent, leaving DeMarcus Walker (three sacks) as the team’s next-best returning pass-rusher.

Walker has always been more of a run-defender anyway, creating a big opportunity for Matthew Judon to make an impact for the Bears. The former could take on the early-down responsibilities while Judon and his 66.5 career sacks would come off the bench as a pass-rush specialist.

The eight-year veteran is coming off of a torn bicep, but he was productive in his limited playing time last year. He racked up four sacks in as many games prior to his injury.

The New England Patriots are rebuilding, so it doesn’t make sense to roster a soon-to-be 32-year-old who is entering a contract year. The Patriots would be better off acquiring draft picks for Judon and would receive about $6.7 million of cap relief by dealing him post-June 1.

Meanwhile, the Bears currently have more than $22.6 million available, and adding a proven pass-rusher could be just what the defense needs to make a playoff push this fall. That should pique defensive-minded head coach Matt Eberflus’ interest, especially since Eberflus is widely considered to be on the hot seat heading into the 2024 season.

Tee Higgins seems unlikely to be on the Cincinnati Bengals after this season. He’s been seeking a new contract since last offseason and went as far as requesting a trade this spring after the Bengals franchise-tagged him. ESPN’s Ben Baby recently reported that Higgins’ camp and the Bengals haven’t negotiated in over a year.

Ja’Marr Chase is also seeking a new contract, and Cincinnati is unlikely to give both receivers lucrative long-term deals, especially with Joe Burrow’s cap hit about to exceed $45 million starting next season. Higgins has been vocal about wanting to be a No. 1 receiver, which won’t happen as long as he’s on the same team as Chase.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers could use a go-to wideout after getting rid of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams earlier this offseason. The Chargers currently have $26.4 million of cap space available—the sixth-most in the NFL—so they could take on the 25-year-old’s $21.8 million contract for this season.

The Chargers are also projected to begin free agency next year with roughly $51.8 million in cap space, so they could give Higgins everything he’s looking for: an opportunity to be a No. 1 and a new contract.

It might seem confusing for the Bolts to move on from two wideouts and then trade for one a few months later, both Allen and Williams were entering the last year of their contracts and were going to be free agents in their 30s. Higgins is a much younger option who can be part of new head coach Jim Harbaugh’s long-term plan.

The Bengals would be able to add future assets for a player who will likely leave for nothing in the offseason anyway. While the offense would have a void to fill at wide receiver this season, the organization has spent three draft picks at the position over the last two years in preparation for a scenario like this.

Heading into the NFL draft, many thought the Indianapolis Colts would target a cornerback as early as the first round. However, they chose Laiatu Latu, whom general manager Chris Ballard called “the best pass-rusher in the draft” instead. That’s a hard pick to argue with, but Ballard didn’t address the secondary until the fifth round.

That leaves Indianapolis with JuJu Brents and Dallis Flowers as its projected starting outside cornerbacks, both of whom battled injuries last year and lack NFL experience. So, the Colts could use a veteran starting option at cornerback.

While James Bradberry is coming off a down year, he was a second-team All-Pro in 2022 and fits the profile that Ballard and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley covet at the position. Bradberry has long arms (33⅜ inches) and good ball skills, as evidenced by his 112 career passes defended. He has at least 10 pass breakups in each of his eight NFL seasons, including 13 last year, and has 19 career interceptions.

Adding the soon-to-be 31-year-old would give the Colts another starting option at cornerback and a good mentor for their young position group at the least.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles spent their top two picks of the draft on cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. They also have Darius Slay Jr. and signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, who can help cover the slot.

The Eagles would get only about $1.2 million in cap space this season with a post-June 1 trade, but they’d get $4.7 million of relief in 2025 and just under $18 million in 2026, which is the first void year of Bradberry’s contract. So, they would have more financial flexibility in the future while adding assets for a player who likely won’t have a big role on the team this fall.

With more than $26 million of available cap space, Indianapolis could easily absorb Bradberry’s $4.3 million cap hit.

All salary cap and contract information is from Over The Cap.