The Lions have minimal dead money in their salary cap before the 2025 offseason.
The Detroit Lions can enhance their roster with new additions during free agency, which starts in early March.
General manager Brad Holmes has made smart decisions concerning the cap during his four years in the position, positioning Detroit to be active spenders in the open market.
Due to the team’s ample talent, the organization can afford to incorporate additional elements to their core built through the draft. Detroit won’t be hindered by dead money on their financial records, since the team has the 18th-highest dead money total in the league, as reported by OverTheCap.
As of Thursday, the Lions have $6,681,976 in dead money, predominantly due to the team letting go of Cam Sutton last offseason. Detroit terminated Sutton’s contract due to a legal issue just before what should have been the second year of a three-year, $33 million deal.
Sutton was originally owed $10.5 million in base pay and submitted a grievance against the league. In the process, 40 percent of the sum was applied to the team, costing Detroit $4.2 million against the cap for 2024. That figure is projected to rise to $6.54 million by 2025 and represents a significant portion of Detroit’s dead money for the next season.
The experienced cornerback signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following an eight-game suspension at the beginning of the year, Sutton recorded 15 tackles and three passes defensed across nine games.
The New Orleans Saints are at the top of the league in dead cap, holding nearly $48.5 million. Cleveland is in second place with $39.7 million, while the Denver Broncos hold the third position at $33.5 million.
At the same time, the Pittsburgh Steelers hold the smallest dead cap total at $45,335.
According to OverTheCap, Detroit presently holds an estimated $46,534,933 in cap space for the 2025 season. The official salary cap amount for the 2025 season will be revealed later this month before the beginning of the new league year.