Evaluating Lions' Free Agent Salary-Cap Costs

Detroit Lions have been managing their salary cap well in free agency.

The Detroit Lions' front office has been managing the salary cap quite well over the past two seasons. 

Following the first week of free agency, the team has approximately $18.4 million in cap space remaining. 

Detroit general manager Brad Holmes has utilized contract structures that tend to make the first year of a new player's cost quite reasonable. 

That has been accomplished by backloading contracts and adding voidable years to a player's contract, allowing the team to manage its cap reasonably. 

One of the players the team took a chance on was cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who expressed to reporters this week that he can see the Lions are an ascending football team. 

“They took a chance on me, signed me here coming off this knee injury,” Moseley said. “But, I know what type of player I can be. I see the direction that the program is going in. I used to watch the games, just being a football player, watching the games, you can see that they’re transcending in the right way. So, why not be a part of that?”

The contract details of many of the new additions have been released, allowing for evaluation of the upcoming salary-cap costs the next couple of seasons. 

Details of Moseley's contract are currently unavailable, along with Graham Glasgow's and Michael Badgley's deals. 

2023 free agent salary-cap costs

• RB Craig Reynolds: $940,000
• OL Ross Pierschbacher: $1 million
• OL Matt Nelson: $1,150,000 
• CB Will Harris: $1,300,000
• DL Isaiah Buggs: $1,700,00
• DL John Cominsky: $2,300,00 
• LB Alex Anzalone: $2,500,000 
• RB David Montgomery: $2,900,00 
• CB Cam Sutton: $3,300,00

2024 free agent salary-cap costs

• DL Isaiah Buggs: $2,800,000
• DL John Cominsky: $6,200,000
• LB Alex Anzalone: $7,300,000
• RB David Montgomery: $6,900,000 
• CB Cam Sutton: $12,700,000