Pride of Detroit
These nine Detroit Lions players under contract in 2025 could see their deals terminated to save salary cap room.
The Detroit Lions have a sizeable list of pending free agents, but before any of those names ink a new contract in Detroit or elsewhere, we could see a player or two get their existing deals axed. Cap causalities are an unfortunate yet important part of any offseason. The salary cap grows on an annual basis, but so too do the contracts dished out. As a result, some old contracts end up on the chopping block to save millions of dollars that could be better spent elsewhere.
The Lions have themselves a strong roster with over $50 million in cap space entering 2025, so a wave of releases is not mandatory for Brad Holmes and company. That being said, a penny saved is a penny earned, and there is opportunity for the Lions to part ways with some inefficient contracts.
Before we get into details on who could be on the outs this offseason, we need to establish some of the big-name contracts that are not going anywhere. Quarterback Jared Goff has the highest salary on the entire roster, with a 2025 hit of over $32 million. Despite the subpar playoff performance from Goff against the Washington Commanders, the Lions are not going to move on from him—this is not even under consideration. The same can be said about the remaining cap hits over $10 million. Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow are both staples of the offensive line, so barring a surprise retirement, they are here to stay for 2025. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson are no-brainers, which Hutchinson likely to earn himself a sizable contract before long—which, if designed properly, could actually lower his 2025 cap hit. The remaining name on that eight-figure salary list is DJ Reader, a cut that would save nearly $8 million, but given his production, value to the front seven, and lack of quality depth at defensive tackle, it would be a shocking move.
With those names aside, here are some players with salary cap hits (per Over The Cap) that stand out due to age, cap hit, production, or a combination of each. For simplicity, I am just looking at pre-June 1 cuts, meaning that the entirety of a cut player’s dead cap would occur in 2025—post-June 1 cuts would have their dead cap spread out over 2025 and 2026.
Acquired midseason for a pair of draft picks, Smith provided some much-needed pass rush for a post-Hutchinson defensive line, but it sadly was not enough to get them over the playoff hump. The Lions are now footing the bill of the Cleveland Browns’ extension from last March. Because he was acquired via trade, his contract is somewhat complicated to process.
The Lions can incur a $0 dead cap hit...
