Since the Titans drafted him in 2019, Amani Hooker has been a regular piece of the Tennessee secondary, starting in all 27 games he has played the last two seasons (while missing seven with injury). He even set career highs in 2024 with five interceptions, nine passes defensed and two forced fumbles, yet he finished with a 65.1 overall defensive grade, per PFF, second-lowest of his career. More importantly, he carries an $11.3 million cap hit in 2025, $8.8 million of which Tennessee can save by releasing him before June 1. Hooker has the eighth-highest cap hit among safeties next year, but currently he’s not top 10 at his position.

If Tennessee prefers to keep Hooker, another similarly fringe defensive cut candidate would be Kenneth Murray, who carries a $10.1 million cap hit in 2025 and could be cut for $7.6 million in cap savings. Murray also started every game he played last season (14) and totaled 95 tackles (eight for loss) and a career-high 3.5 sacks, but he was absolutely abysmal against the run. According to PFF, Murray’s 35.0 run defense grade was the worst among 82 linebackers with at least 300 defensive snaps — heavily damaging his overall defensive grade of 45.9 (third-lowest among that group). Depending on how Tennessee wants to tackle the offseason (no pun intended), Hooker, Murray and/or linebackers Arden Key or Harold Landry III could all be on the chopping block.