3 NFL stars whose future is in jeopardy ft. Ezekiel Elliott

As we get closer to the 2022-2023 NFL season, teams will have to go under the cap space before the start of the new league year. There are currently 11 teams that are under the cap and they'll have to get their numbers down to zero before the season starts. Here are three candidates who will most likely have their deals restructured, traded, or released.

3 NFL stars whose future is in jeopardy

#1 - Ezekiel Elliott

Washington Football Team v Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott is the highest paid running back this season. Elliott carries an $18.6 million cap hit this season, and he's certainly not worth that price this season. In 2019, Elliott signed a six-year $90 million contract extension with the Cowboys, making him the highest-paid running back in the league. Elliot accounts for 8.6 percent of Dallas' cap number in 2022.

He carries a dead cap number of $30,080,000 which would make releasing him impossible, but a restructure is more likely. The Cowboys currently have the third-worst cap space situation at -$22 million and with the emergence of their young running back, Tony Pollard, it would seem that Zeke would take a pay cut if agreed upon.

3 NFL stars whose future is in jeopardy

#2 - Michael Thomas

Wild Card Round - Chicago Bears v New Orleans Saints

Michael Thomas is another player who could possibly be traded, released, or have his contract restructured. The Saints have by far the least amount of cap space available. As of today, the Saints currently sit at -$76 million, and are in a very tough situation. Thomas, whose cap number accounts for nearly 12 percent of New Orleans' total figures, has played in just seven games since his record-setting 2019 campaign.

This season, Thomas' cap hit is $24.7 million, the second most of any receiver behind DeAndre Hopkins. That's a lot of money for a player who hasn't played football since 2019. Like the Cowboys, the Saints can restructure Thomas' deal into a signing bonus, or they can trade him to a team that needs a true number one receiver with a lot of cap space like the Jaguars.

#3 - Trey Flowers

Indianapolis Colts v Detroit Lions

Who remembers when Trey Flowers signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Detroit Lions in 2019? In his two seasons with Detroit, Flowers has only registered nine sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble receovery, and 73 tackles. The numbers aren't bad, but with a cap hit of $23.2 million this season and with the Lions in rebuild mode, Flowers will most likely have to take a pay cut.