Lions Salary Cap: Where The Money Is Being Spent

Detroit Lions have spent reasonably on their 2022 roster.

Heading into training camp at the end of the month, the Detroit Lions have approximately $9.8 million remaining in salary cap space. 

Even though there are many NFL teams with much more salary cap space currently available, general manager Brad Holmes has done well to allocated resources properly across different positions. 

Among the positions other NFL teams are spending significant money on is at wide receiver. 

For the Lions, spending on their wideouts ranks 24th in the entire league. 

“When you break it down into financial terms, especially when you look at the current scope of where the receiver contracts are going. It’s something that you’ve got to think about," Holmes discussed prior to the Draft. "Do you want to pay that money? It’s a lot of different variables that go into that with just paying a UFA (unrestricted free agent), or a free agent, or trading for a guy and signing him to a big deal, versus just trying to get one in the Draft. That’s the unpredictability part of it. You just don’t know if you’ll be able to get that guy, get the guy that you want in the Draft. You’ve got to weigh both, but I think there is some merit to that.”

Here is how the Lions are allocating resources across different positions on their current roster, courtesy of Spotrac.

• Quarterbacks -- $34.3 million
• Running back/fullback -- $11 million
• Wide receiver -- $16.95 million
• Tight end -- $11.3 million
• Offensive line -- $50.6 million
• Edge rusher -- $33.6 million
• Defensive line -- $27.4 million
• Linebacker -- $28.9 million
• Cornerback -- $19.9 million
• Safety -- $13.3 million
• Specialists -- $3.5 million