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After seeing the NFL salary cap go down from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the sport, the cap is widely expected to head back up higher than ever before.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the 2022 salary cap is expected to go up to the maximum agreed to by the league and NFLPA. That figure for 2022 is a rich $208.2 million, with another increase expected for the 2023 season. Those numbers are expected to be confirmed next week at the NFL’s annual labor seminar.
For the Lions, it’s a boon to free agency shopping the team is widely expected to do after the season. The new cap figure would give the Lions just under $40 million in actual cap space. The exact figure, per Spotrac, is $39,826,812.
There will be less than that in reality. The cap accounts for the top 51 contracts on the team, but the Lions won’t have 51 players under contract once the season ends. When factoring in the rookie draft picks and players needed to field a 53-man roster, Detroit’s effective cap space drops to $21,107,581, again per Spotrac as of December 6th. The figures are subject to change.
The Lions will rank in the middle of the NFL pack in available cap room, but they do have one advantage. Safety Tracy Walker is one of the few starters on an expiring contract who is expected to command a substantive contract, be it from the Lions (who would love to keep Walker) or another team. Detroit will also have the ability to drop some pricey veterans to free up more space, if needed.