The Detroit Lions have some funds available if they need to make a move in the 2026 regular season.
After putting together a modest free agent class, the LIons still have approximately $14.7 million to work with for the upcoming regular season. In yeaars past, the Lions have benefitted from carrying this money into the regular season as it allows them to make depth singings if injuries occur.
Detroit ranks 20th in available cap space at this stage of the offseason. Their amount could allow them to sign multiple free agents during the regular season if necessary, but also puts a limit on the value of a contract they could take on during the trade deadline.
In terms of dead cap, the Lions did add a big dead cap charge to their books recently with Terrion Arnold's release. According to OverTheCap, the Lions will take on $6,662,882 to their dead money.
It should be noted that the Lions could elect to void his guarantees if he is found to have violated the NFL's personal conduct policy, which would take the base salary numbers out of the dead cap hit and lessen it by around $4 million over the next two seasons.
The biggest decisions coming for the Lions from a financial perspective will be the contract extensions for their three remaining members of the 2023 Draft class. Jahmyr Gibbs has two years left of team control with the team picking up his fifth-year option, while Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch are both entering their final years.
LaPorta and Branch have some injury concerns which could delay their extensions, while Gibbs could be waiting to reset the running back market from a financial perspective. As a result, there is plenty of intrigue surrounding whether the Lions can get these extensions done before the start of the regular season.
Top cap hits
QB Jared Goff -- $37.6 million
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown -- $33.11 million
DT Alim McNeill -- $28.966 million
OT Penei Sewell -- $28 million
CB D.J. Reed -- $17.867 million
Dead cap hits
OT Taylor Decker -- $9.444 million
CB Terrion Arnold -- $6,662,882
RB David Montgomery -- $4,862,501
DT DJ Reader -- $3.729 million
C Frank Ragnow -- $3.6 million
OL Graham Glasgow -- $2.875 million
LB Alex Anzalone -- $1.2 million
QB Hendon Hooker -- $289,823
DL Brodric Martin -- $214,378
DE Ahmed Hassanein -- $172,419
Total dead cap: $33,131,673
Extension predictions
RB Jahmyr Gibbs -- Three years, $62.1 million ($20.7 million AAV)
TE Sam LaPorta -- Four years, $72 million ($18 million AAV)
S Brian Branch -- Three years, $51 million ($17 million AAV)
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