4 Detroit Lions who are most likely to have their contracts restructured this spring
The Detroit Lions aren't hurting for cap space, but these four players may have their contracts restructured this spring to add some more.
A key part of the Detroit Lions' rebuild orchestrated by general manager Brad Holmes is the correction in the team's balance sheet. Their dead money situation has been trending dramatically positive the last couple years, and right now it sits at a paltry (with paltry being a good thing in this case) $1.43 million for 2024.
Whatever source you look at, Over The Cap ($46.1 million) or Spotrac ($48.1 million), the Lions are top-10 in the NFL in cap space for 2024 right now. So they don't really have to do anything to create more room to operate this offseason, but as free agency approaches more is generally accepted as better.
There aren't a lot of obvious cuts/likely cap casualties on the Lions' roster. But Looming contract extensions this offseason are in line to adjust some 2024 cap numbers, and some contract restructures could be on the table too. Those are the most likely paths to adding cap room
On the restructure front, these four Lions are the most likely to have their contracts restructured this spring.
4. P Jack Fox
The Lions have rightfully made Fox one of the highest-paid punters in the league. He did have a slightly down year by some measures in 2023 (46.4 yards per punt; 41.7 net average), but that's compared to his previous three seasons. This past season, his rate of punts downed inside the 20-yard line went up to 45.6 percent from 26.9 percent in 2022.
The years left on Fox's contract (through 2026) makes it viable for the Lions to restructure him this offseason.
Estimated savings (according to Over The Cap): $1.33 million
Estimated savings (according to Spotrac): $1.28 million