How Much Cap Space Can Lions Save If Kerby Joseph Cannot Play?

The Detroit Lions have entered an unfortunate conundrum regarding safety Kerby Joseph.

An All-Pro selection for his league-leading nine interceptions in the 2024 season, Joseph remains out of action through two regular season games and without a clear timeline of when he can return. Joseph has been sidelined since Week 6 of last season, meaning he has missed the Lions' last 1 games dating back to last year.

Head coach Dan Campbell has been non-committal throughout Joseph's recovery process about a possible return timeline, and added some dire comments to the context of the situation on Tuesday. He stated he "can't make people feel good," about the situation, which seems to indicate that even the staff doesn't have a clear picture of when he can return.

With rumors swirling that Joseph's knee injury is degenerative, there's legitimate concern that this could have an adverse effect on his career. Once the NFL's highest-paid safety, Joseph has yet to as much as practice for the Lions since training camp started.

As the uncertainty builds, it's fair to begin wondering whether Joseph will ultimately be able to suit up for the Lions beyond this season.

His status of being in the first year of a four-year, $85 million contract extension further complicates matters, as the Lions could be forced to make tough decisions surrounding the former NFL interception leader.

Joseph has low base salary numbers in each of the four years of his extension, which kicked in this year after his rookie deal expired last season. However, he has signing and option bonus prorations spread throughout the duration of his contract, and has some money guaranteed for injury.

The former Illinois safety has his signing bonus of $10.011 million spread out over amounts of $2.02 million in the four seasons of the deal, while he has option bonuses in each of the four years of his contract. His option bonus for the 2027 season is set to kick in on March 20, assuming he's still on the roster.

If the Lions were to release him after this season, they would in essence be paying out the signing bonus for the 2026 season but not being on the hook for the following years, and could pay it out in prorations of $1.925 million through the 2030 season.

Should Detroit elect to make it work and wait a year, that number would go down by a year and lower the team's dead cap hit. It's important to note that Joseph has $13 million in injury protected money, with some of that money being paid out this year with the remaining amount coming the following year.

To put it simply, the dead cap hit the Lions would take on should the release him after this year would be $19.5 million, while their dead cap if they released him after 2027 would be $13.7 million. If they released him in 2028, it would be a dead cap hit of $23 million.

While the Lions will ultimately have to take on some financial burden if Joseph is unable to play and they are forced to make a move, the contract does not put them in an impossible situation moving forward.

Based on the contract structure, it would cost the Lions money to cut him rather than keep him over the next three years because of the dead cap hits.

The next few months will be a defining moment in both Joseph's career and the Lions' future, as the financial element could have a big impact on what the Lions are able to spend in the coming years. If he returns to form, it would no doubt be a welcome development.

However, based on recent updates, there's certainly legitimacy to the concerns surrounding his playing career with the Lions.

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