The Detroit Lions added some noticeable dead money to their 2024 balance sheet with contract voids that took effect on Feb. 16. But in the big picture they are still doing very well, with $44.8 million in cap space right now (eighth-most in the league, according to Over The Cap) and a path to adding some more via contract restructures if they want to pursue that.
The Lions don't really have to do anything to to clear more cap room. But if a big move to add a veteran at a position of significant need is on the radar, and that is a massive "if" given the mode general manager Brad Holmes has shown, In general though, there's no thing as too much cap space if there are plans to spend.
There are some current players who could be cut to clear space (it's not a long list though), even with some dead money implications on the back end.
The Lions could nearly double their current cap space with four fairly simple moves, and all are more likely to happen than not.
Note: All financial numbers are via Over The Cap.
How the Lions can clear $40 million in additional 2024 cap space
4. Cut John Cominsky (pre-June 1)
Cominsky was a revelation for the Lions in 2022, going from a summertime waiver claim to a key piece of the defensive line with four sacks, 12 quarterback hits and five tackles for loss. He was a virtual no-brainer to be re-signed, and he was brought back on a two-year deal.
Cominsky played in 16 games and started 11 contests in 2023. But he had just two sacks, then he was a surprising healthy scratch for the regular season finale. Over 97 postseason snaps (all three games), he was not impactful.
Cutting Cominsky would clear $4.6 million in cap space, with $1.7 million left behind in dead money.
2024 added cap space tally: $4.6 million
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3. Cut Tracy Walker (pre-June 1)
The Lions rewarded Walker for a rebound season in 2021 with a three-year, $25 million contract. Then he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3 of the 2022 season. He made a speedy recovery with no known setbacks, but his role changed with the signing of C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
But Gardner-Johnson suffered torn pectoral in Week 2 this past season, and Walker found himself back in a big role for the next 10 games. He had some ups and downs, then Ifeatu Melifonwu replaced him as a starter and had a breakout run down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Walker was relegated to special teams duty, then he was a healthy scratch for all three of the Lions' playoff games. That felt like a pre-cursor to an offseason move to let him go.
Walker's cap hit for 2024 is $12.8 million, which is currently the third-highest on the team. He could have his contract restructured, which would clear $3.4 million in cap space. Or he may have some trade value, as a former starter who'll be further removed from a major injury.
Cutting Walker before June 1 would clear $5.5 million in cap space for the Lions (with $7.3 million in dead money). A post-June 1 cut would make it $8 million in cap savings, while shifting $2.5 million in dead money to 2025. But to make it simple, we'll use a pre-June 1 cut in the calculation.
2024 added cap space tally: $10.1 million
Update, Feb. 20, 5:30 p.m. ET: According to multiple reports, the Lions have told Walker they will be releasing him.
2. Extend Taylor Decker
Decker is entering the final year of his contract, and he has already made it clear what his future intentions are (via MLive).
"I definitely want to end my career here,” Decker said. “I would say ultimately, for me, this is where I want to be. Of course you want money, but for me, I like being here. I love being here. I was able to be a part of climbing out of the trenches of it, and it’s been fun the past year-and-a-half to see the flip side of it. Whatever happens with the contract, I don’t know. There’s been nothing of substance with (negotiations) so far. But ultimately, do I want to be here forever? One-hundred percent. So, we’ll see.”
It obviously will take two to tango if Decker, the longest-tenured player on the team, is going to be a Lion for his entire career. But it's safe to say the team would like to keep him around, with no drop-off in his play as he crosses into his 30s. It's frankly not easy to replace a good left tackle, and Decker should have plenty of good years left in his career.
A contract extension for Decker is certainly somewhere on the Lions' radar this offseason. Getting it done could clear $9.992 million in cap space.
2024 cap space tally: $20.092 million
1. Extend Jared Goff
It's only a matter of timing regarding Goff getting a contract extension from the Lions this offseason, as he enters the final year of his current deal. The questions about it are the length, and the average per year in new money. And even the latter is pretty much set by the market, at $40-$50 million a year. Both sides want to stay together, and are better with each other than without (especially in Goff's case).
Brad Holmes once said, to paraphrase, that it's easier to get worse at quarterback than it is to get better. That serves as another endorsement of Goff.
It's just a matter of getting a deal done, and it should not linger too long into the offseason.
It's not a revelation to see that Goff has the highest current cap hit for the Lions in 2024-$32.3 million. A multi-year extension would naturally be structured to spread out his $22.3 million base salary for this year, and any new signing bonus would be added to the current $5 million proration for this year and prorated over the total length of his contract (including 2024). A void year also seems likely, to further spread the signing bonus proration out.
Down to the brass tacks of it, a contract extension for Goff could clear $20,872,051 in cap space. And that is a foregone conclusion to happen.