It can be challenging to keep up with the Detroit Lions’ roster movement during the offseason. So, to make things easier on Lions fans, we make it a yearly offseason tradition to track every signing, re-signing, tagging, and roster loss in one convenient place.
For this continuously updating piece, we will focus on the Lions’ 2026 roster heading into free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. This article is organized by position group and provides fans with an overview of the players on the roster and the pending free agents for each designation.
Within each section, we will provide readers with an end-of-season depth chart for each position, identify the roles players held, list the 2026 contract details for players currently signed by the Lions, and provide several key terms to clarify each player’s situation. There will also be links to other articles for those fans looking for even more depth of coverage.
So, bookmark this page and revisit it as roster updates are made.
Terms to know:
- UFA: Unrestricted Free Agents can sign with any team during the free agency period beginning on March 11 (tampering negotiations begin on the 9th). However, the Lions can re-sign these players at any time. (Note: We ranked this year’s UFA class here)
- RFA: Restricted Free Agents’ rights are held by the Lions, and a tender could fall into three different categories. If an RFA receives a contract from another team, the Lions can match the offer or potentially receive draft compensation for allowing the player to leave (See: Brock Wright in 2024).
- ERFA: Exclusive Rights Free Agents are only allowed to negotiate contracts with the Lions unless Detroit chooses to let them explore free agency.
- SFA: Street Free Agents are players who were under contract with an NFL team in 2025, but not on an active roster at the season’s end. They are free to sign with any team immediately. The most common SFAs are players who were on NFL practice squads.
- Futures contracts are deals given to street free agents before the start of free agency. They’re called “futures” deals because while currently signed, these contracts don’t count against the cap until a “future” date—which is the start of free agency. (Note: the Lions have already begun signing players to futures contracts)
- 2026 cap pit: How much a player counts against the team’s 2026 salary cap.
- Guarantees remaining: this is the remaining guaranteed money owed to the player over the remainder of his contract, not just 2026. If the Lions move on from a player with guaranteed money, that amount will count against the Lions’ cap, even though the player is no longer on the roster.
Quarterback
Goff is entrenched as the Lions’ starter, and with nearly $100 million in guarantees remaining, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, with the Lions’ salary cap situation being tight, they may even elect to restructure or renegotiate his contract this offseason...
Pride of Detroit
