Tag: Mike Disner

Get ready for more void years in Lions contracts

The Detroit Lions have been big on using void years in contracts to help spread out the salary cap hits. Get ready for more in 2024.

It’s still a little early to know which players the Lions will be chasing in free agency. However, it’s a pretty safe bet that some of the free agent signings, and also contract extensions, will include a void year or two in their contracts.

The automatic void year is a tool that COO Mike Disner and GM Brad Holmes have repeatedly used in managing the Lions salary cap. The void years spread out the cap hit of a new contract, intentionally amortizing the value over a longer period than the player will actually play for Detroit.

The Lions have been very good about avoiding unintentional dead money. Void years are a little different, even though the accounting ledger shifts the void years to dead money once the contract expires. The void years are a deliberate, intentional creation of dead cap obligations in order to make the contract more affordable at the time of signing.

This year, the Lions will eat some dead cap money on void years in a few contracts:

  • Halapoulivaati Vaitai – $3.84 million
  • Romeo Okwara – $3.5 million
  • C.J. Gardner-Johnson – $2 million
  • Graham Glasgow – $1.47 million
  • Emmanuel Moseley – $1 million
  • Teddy Bridgewater – $500,000

It’s a total of over $12.3 million in cap room sacrificed to void years. It’s an emerging trend where the Lions are one of the forefront leaders, and that isn’t expected to change.

As an example, let’s say the Lions want to sign free agent CB Chidobe Awuzie as a hypothetical target. PFF lists Awuzie with an estimated free agent contract value of $21 million over two years with $12.75 million (60 percent) guaranteed, and that seems like a reasonable ballpark figure for the Lions to try and hit.

Adding a void year onto the deal would spread out the $21 million salary over three years instead of two. It also allows the Lions to spread any signing bonus over another season, and that could be key in negotiating if another team is making a similar offer. It pushes some of the cap hit deeper into the future when the overall NFL salary cap increases. There’s some risk in kicking that can too often, but it’s been an effective tool for Disner and the Lions.

Expect them to keep using it.

 

Lions have almost no dead salary cap hits for 2024 to start the offseason

The Detroit Lions have almost no dead salary cap hits for 2024 to start the offseason

One of the clearest signs the Detroit Lions are in much better hands now than in any other time of the Internet Era is in how well the team is managing the financial aspect of football. For years, the Lions routinely ranked near the top of the NFL in dead salary cap spending — paying for players no longer on the team.

Just three years ago, the Lions paid out over $67 million in cap room for players not in Detroit anymore. It was a lasting handcuff around the ankle attached to the bottom of the pool ladder for the start of the rebuild around GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell.

That figure fell down to a more manageable but still egregious $20.3 million in dead cap room lost in 2022. In 2023, with COO Mike Disner finally freed of the shackles that prevented true progress, the figure fell again to $18.7 million in dead cap room.

Detroit ranked 15th in the NFL in dead cap spending in both 2022 and 2023, with higher numbers being more desirable. The Lions are working their way to 32nd, too.

As of the start of the offseason, the Lions rank 23rd in dead cap obligations for the upcoming season. Detroit has just $1.43 million in dead money for 2024. Nearly all of it comes from two players: Marvin Jones ($800,000) and Isaiah Buggs ($500,000). Chase Lucas adds on just under $50,000, with the rest coming from signing bonuses for undrafted rookies who didn’t make the team.

There is the potential for the Lions to add some more with some pending roster decisions. Guys like Tracy Walker, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Romeo Okwara would add a lot of dead cap to the tally if they’re removed from the roster. But for now, the Lions are sitting a lot prettier than they have in eons in terms of salary cap health and avoiding dead weight.

Lions COO Mike Disner reportedly withdraws from Panthers’ GM search

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Lions COO Mike Disner has withdrawn his name from the Panthers’ GM search.

Another lion may have escaped from the Carolina Panthers.

According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, Detroit Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner has withdrawn from Carolina’s search for a new general manager. The Panthers reportedly requested to interview Disner for the vacancy back on Jan. 10.

The West Bloomfield, Mich. native, who will be sticking around his stomping ground, is currently in his 16th in the league. He’s spent his last four in Detroit, where he previously served as the senior vice president of football and business administration and the vice president of football administration.

Disner began his NFL career as a scouting assistant for the New England Patriots in 2007. He’s also picked up stops as the operations manager and labor operations coordinator for the National Football League Management Council (2009 to 2012) and as director of football administration for the Arizona Cardinals (2013 to 2018).

This is now the second time in as many offseasons a Detroit staffer has withdrawn his name from a Carolina opening. The first was offensive coordinator Ben Johnson—who, as of now, still remains a candidate for this year’s head-coaching job.

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Lions COO Mike Disner is staying in Detroit

Lions COO Mike Disner is staying in Detroit after removing his name from consideration for the Panthers GM vacancy

Current Detroit Lions COO Mike Disner will remain in that role for the 2024 season. Disner was a candidate to leave but has opted to remain with the Lions.

Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports that Disner is “staying in Detroit” after withdrawing his name from consideration for the Carolina Panthers vacant general manager position. The Panthers apparently moved on as well, conducting second interviews with some other candidates before Disner ever took a first.

Disner is the Lions’ chief contract negotiator and salary cap manager. He does also contribute to player personnel decisions under GM Brad Holmes in Detroit’s consensus-oriented front office.

It’s a welcome return for Disner, who has established himself as one of the NFL’s best-regarded young front office talents.

 

Panthers request interview with Lions COO Mike Disner for GM job

The Panthers announced they have requested an interview with Lions COO Mike Disner for their GM opening.

The Carolina Panthers are cruising around in the Motor City for another name.

As announced on Wednesday afternoon, the team has requested an interview with Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner for their general manager position. He is now the ninth candidate the Panthers have confirmed a request for.

Disner is currently in his 16th in the league. He’s spent his last four in Detroit, where he previously served as the senior vice president of football and business administration and the vice president of football administration.

The West Bloomfield, Mich. native began his NFL career as a scouting assistant for the New England Patriots in 2007. He’s also picked up stops as the operations manager and labor operations coordinator for the National Football League Management Council (2009 to 2012) and as director of football administration for the Arizona Cardinals (2013 to 2018).

Carolina’s request for Disner is especially intriguing given their interest in Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is considered the favorite for the team’s head-coaching job.

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Panthers request permission to interview Lions’ Mike Disner for their GM role

Disner is the Lions’ COO and is the primary contract guru, as well as working with the strategy unit

Already looking for a potential new head coach from the Detroit Lions, the Carolina Panthers are now also looking to potentially fill their GM vacancy with someone from Detroit. The Panthers announced they have requested permission from the Lions to interview Mike Disner as their general manager.

Disner is the Lions’ Chief Operating Officer (COO) and has been in that role since 2022. He was the team’s senior VP of football and business administration prior to that promotion, serving two seasons in each capacity for Detroit.

In layman’s terms, Disner runs the team’s salary cap and contract negotiations with both players and coaches. He is also part of the Lions’ personnel strategy and evaluation teams, working with GM Brad Holmes, assistant GM Ray Agnew, special assistant Chris Spielman and others.

Disner is consistently noted as one of the league’s rising young stars, though he’s been in the NFL for over 15 years. The Lions do not have to grant permission to the Panthers, though that’s not a common move.

The Panthers have already asked the Lions for permission to interview OC Ben Johnson for their head coaching vacancy. Johnson interviewed for that position last year before pulling his name from contention.

Panthers 2024 GM search tracker

Join us as we track every candidate in the Panthers’ search for a new general manager

Congratulations, Carolina Panthers fans. You got a twofer this time around!

Not only will the organization be on their second head-coaching hunt in as many offseasons—but, with the dismissal of Scott Fitterer, they’ll also be on the prowl for a new general manager.

Keep it here as we track each candidate throughout the process.

Lions announce 8 front office changes, continue strong culture building

The Detroit Lions announced 8 front office changes and mostly internal promotions which shows the strong culture the Lions are instilling.

Since Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell walked through the door, they have been building an influential culture from top to bottom. One that awards individuals for their continued strong efforts, giving them the platform to take the next step forward in their careers potentially. Today those efforts were awarded as the Lions announced eight front office changes this morning, with only one being an outside hire.

The one hire of strong significance is the promotion of Mike Disner, who was promoted as the Chief Operating Officer. Disner has risen through the ranks in the Lions organization when he was hired in 2019, starting as the Vice President of Football Administration, then Senior Vice President of Football and Business Administration when Brad Holmes took over as General Manager.

Disner is widely respected in the Lions organization as he was integral in the hiring of Brad Holmes and brought Holmes to the front office’s attention. He has been a main avenue for Holmes, coming in as a first-time general manager and widely recognized as an up-and-comer in the NFL, and on his continued trajectory, he could find himself running a front office shortly.

The lone outside hire was making the hire of Brandon Sosna official. The Lions are bringing in Sosna from USC and making him the team’s Senior Director of Football Administration. He is another individual making a name for himself as he was named to the Forbes’ “30 Under 30 Sports” list in 2020 as he played as USC’s athletic director Mike Bohn’s right-hand man.

Here are the rest of the front office changes to round out the recent promotions:

  • Lance Newmark from the director of player personnel to the senior director of player personnel.
  • Brian Hudspeth from national scout to assistant director of college scouting.
  • Joe Kelleher from pro scout to assistant director of pro scouting.
  • Ademi Smith from personnel assistant to scout.
  • Gina Newell from director of team operations to senior director of football operations.
  • Jesse Giambra from the coordinator of team operations to manager of team operations/head coach administration.

What a new $180 million salary cap floor means for the Detroit Lions

Examining what a new $180 million salary cap floor means for the Detroit Lions’ 2021 offseason.

Per the NFL/NFLPA collective bargaining agreement, the NFL’s salary cap is determined based on profit/loss from the previous season. In 2020, the salary cap was $198.2 million, but with the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the league’s profitability, the salary cap is expected to see a significant drop.

The NFL is still in the process of determining the final 2021 salary cap, but in a new memo sent out to NFL clubs, they announced that they have raised the cap floor from $175 million to $180 million.

This is still a sharp decline, but the league said it will continue working on ways to increase this number — they are negotiating new television contracts and auditing their final 2020 revenue figures — before the league’s new year begins on March 17th.

The Lions have also rolled over $12.8 million from last season and will put that towards their available cap room in 2021, meaning their cap floor is actually $192.8 million.

Currently, the Lions have $185.2 million invested in 53 players and are under the requirements for beginning the new year, but once the new year begins and the Matthew Stafford/Jared Goff trade becomes official, the Lions cap will see a significant change.

As noted when examining how the trade would impact the Lions cap, Stafford’s $33 million comes off the books but he leaves behind a $19 million cap hit. Then factoring in Goff’s new contract cost of $28.15 million, and the Lions are going to take on an additional $14.15 million in cap charges once the trade happens.

That means, the Lions’ new cap number will be approximately $199.35 million and they will be roughly $6.5 million over the allowed allotment.

$6.5 million over the cap is not ideal, but half the league is in a worse situation than the Lions — including all three teams in the NFC North — and the Lions seem poised to clear more cap space by releasing players with bloated contracts.

With cuts coming and the League continuing to attempt to raise the salary cap floor, the Lions should find themselves in a much better cap situation come mid-March.

Mike Disner promoted to Lions’ Senior Vice President of Football and Business Administration

According to the Detroit Lions website, Mike Disner has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Football and Business Administration.

According to the Detroit Lions website, Mike Disner has been promoted from Vice President of Football Administration to Senior Vice President of Football and Business Administration as part of the team’s front office restructuring.

A Bloomfield Hills native, Disner has 12 years of NFL front office experience and is considered one of the “rising stars” who is “shaping the direction of the NFL”. He was hired by the Lions in 2018, after six years as the Arizona Cardinals capologist, and was tasked with heading up the player contract negotiations and handling the Lions salary cap.

Disner was also a member of the Lions search team that helped identify general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell, and is someone team president Rod Wood and principal owner Shelia Ford Hamp praised at multiple press conferences.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tweeted out the front office hierarchy, which matches a previous MMQB article from earlier in the month:

One other notable change is that Jimmy Raye III, senior personnel executive, is no longer listed on the team’s website.

John Dorey, who was officially announced yesterday, now holds that title.