To open Day 1 of NFL free agency, the Detroit Lions re-signed guard Graham Glasgow before he could officially talk to other teams. On Day 2, they made their second cornerback addition in as many days by agreeing to a deal with Amik Robertson.
Of course there's more than meets they eye when contract details are reported. The structure of guaranteed money, cap hits, etc. eventually come to light.
The details of the deals for Glasgow and Robertson are out now, so lets take a look (via Over The Cap).
Detroit Lions free agency: Graham Glasgow, Amik Robertson contract details
Glasgow's deal was a reported three-year, $20 million deal with $9.5 million guaranteed. With a $5.5 million signing bonus, a fully guaranteed $1.5 million 2024 base salary and $1 million of his 2025 base salary guaranteed, the guaranteed amount is actually $8 million.
Here's a year-by-year look at Glasgow's contract.
2024:
$1.5 million base salary (fully guaranteed),
$1.83 million (signing bonus proration)
Cap hit: $3.33 million
2025:
$5.5 million base salary ($1 million guaranteed)
$1.83 million (signing bonus proration)
$500 roster bonus (due March 5)
Cap hit: $7.83 million
Dead money if cut (pre-June 1): $4.66 million; $3.17 million in cap savings
2026:
$6.5 million base salary
$1.83 million signing bonus proration
$500,000 roster bonus (due March 5)
Cap Hit: $8.83 million
Dead money if cut (pre-June 1): $1.83 million; $7 million in cap savings
So it's a straight-forward three-year deal, with no void years attached to spread out the signing bonus. It's also, as is common, essentially a two-year commitment to Glasgow, who will 34 before the final year of the deal.
Now, let's look at the details of Robertson's contract. It was reported as a two-year, $9.25 million deal, with $4.5 million in guaranteed and an extra $1.5 million available in incentives.
2024:
$1.2 million base salary (fully guaranteed)
$1.65 million signing bonus proration
Cap hit: $2.85 million
Dead money if cut: $4.5 million
2025:
$4.2 million base salary ($0 guaranteed)
$1.65 million signing bonus proration
$500,000 roster bonus (due March 18)
$50,000 workout bonus
Cap hit: $6.4 million
Dead money if cut (pre-June 1): $1.65 million; $4.75 million in cap savings
So the guaranteed money is indeed $4.5 million for Robertson, with a $3.3 million signing bonus and that $1.2 million 2024 base salary. But for all practical purposes he's on a one-year deal, with nothing further fully guaranteed in 2025. The criteria for the reported incentives is not clear.
As easily seen, these are two very good deals for the Lions. Low cap hits for 2024, and even with Glasgow they aren't necessarily locked into the second year if things go poorly.