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Evaluating Lions' Free Agent Salary-Cap Costs

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