How Lions' Rookie Class Impacts 2023 Salary Cap
The Detroit Lions will begin signing their rookie class to contracts in the upcoming weeks.
Luckily, the rookie pay scale is largely pre-determined by draft position.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to sign a four-year contract that will be worth $17,845,135, with a signing bonus of $9,978,280.
All first-round deals provide teams a fifth-year option to retain their draft selection for an additional season.
According to Spotrac, the eight draft picks will cost the Lions $12,714,294.
Recall, from the start of the new league year until the first week of the regular season, only the top 51 contracts count against a team's salary cap. So, it is currently expected that the salary-cap costs of Detroit's picks will tally $11,214,294.
Heading into rookie minicamp, Detroit has approximately $13.5 million in cap space available.
Estimated 2023 rookie cap hits
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs -- $3,244,569
- LB Jack Campbell -- $2,676,728
- TE Sam LaPorta -- $1,721,089
- DB Brian Branch -- $1,458,496
- QB Hendon Hooker -- $1,039,822
- DT Brodric Martin -- $964,379
- OL Colby Sorsdal -- $830,021 (Top 51 = $80,021)
- WR Antoine Green -- $779,190 (Top 51 = $29,190)
Lions' current salary-cap situation (without rookie deals)
- Adjusted NFL salary cap -- $227,209,702
- Active Lions contracts -- $194,130,648
- Current dead cap -- $19,655,139
- 2022 rollover -- $2,223,156
- Total (all) -- $213,785,787
- Total (top 51 contracts) -- $200,635,787
- Estimated cap space (all) -- $13,423,915
- Estimated cap space available (top 51) -- $26,573,915
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