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Vaitai Renegotiates Lions Contract, Adds Salary-Cap Space

The Detroit Lions reworked the NFL contract of offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

John Maakaron

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This offseason, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes and the front office have added additional salary-cap space by reworking the deals of multiple veterans already on the roster. 

After renegotiating the contracts of Romeo Okwara, Tracy Walker and Charles Harris, the team has added $7,395,000 in cap space by renegotiating with offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai. 

In March of 2020, Vaitai signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Lions, after a stint with the Eagles. 

After suffering a back injury prior to the start of the 2022 season, Vaitai underwent surgery, and was lost for the entirety of the year. 

“It hurts to lose Big V, man,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on 97.1 The Ticket. “He was a big part of what we did, and he was a great team guy. He’ll still be in the building, but that’s life in NFL and we move on. But, we’ll be okay.”

As a result of his new deal, it is quite likely the 29-year-old will be on the roster this upcoming season. His future beyond this season is in question, though, as the front office added a void year for the 2024 season. 

Previously, Vaitai was set to cost $12,448,194 against the cap, as his base salary was set at $9,400,000. 

The veteran lineman's 2023 cap hit has been reduced from $12.4 million to $5.05 million. 

New contract details 

2023

Base salary: $1,210,000

Prorated bonus: $3,843,194

Cap hit: $5,053,194

2024 (Void) 

Prorated bonus: $3,843,194

Cap hit: $3,843,194

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!

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