The new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement has passed, the 2020 salary cap has been set at $198.2 million and Detroit Lions are set to open the offseason with just over $50 million in available salary-cap space.
Recent estimations were that the salary cap could reach as high as $201 million, which is why salary cap tracking websites like Overthecap.com currently have the Lions with a bit more estimated available funds.
The $50 million projection we at Lions Wire are using factors in all the Lions recent moves — Damon Harrison and Rick Wagner releases, Danny Amendola and Don Muhlbach re-signings — as well as the adjustment to the official salary cap number.
The top 10 biggest cap hits the Lions currently have in 2020 are:
- Matthew Stafford — $31,500,000
- Trey Flowers — $16,739,000
- Darius Slay — $13,400,000
- Taylor Decker — $10,350,000
- Marvin Jones — $9,195,883
- Justin Coleman — $9,029,000
- Devon Kennard — $7,175,000
- Jesse James — $5,279,000
- Danny Amendola — $4,968,750
- T.J. Hockenson — $4,504,824
Based on estimations from Overthecap.com, the Lions projected draft class could cost almost $12 million in total, with the first-round pick — assuming they select at pick No. 3 overall — having a 2020 salary cap hit of $6.9 million.
This projection puts the Lions near the middle of the NFL in available salary-cap space as free agency is set to begin.
As of the publishing of this article, the legal tampering period is set to begin on Monday, with the league’s new year and free agency signing period set to open on Wednesday at 4:00 PM, EST.