How Detroit Lions Can Add $21 Million in Salary Cap Space

The Detroit Lions are facing a familiar modern NFL challenge: balancing a playoff-caliber roster with the restrictions of the salary cap.

While the league’s cap jumped from $279.2 million in 2025 to $301.2 million in 2026, Detroit still finds itself $12.2 million over the limit ahead of the new league year, per OverTheCap. With the March 11 deadline looming, Lions general manager Brad Holmes must get creative.

Fortunately for the Lions, there is a clear path forward, and it involves restructuring multiple contracts.

The simplest way to generate cap space is by converting base salaries into signing bonuses.

When a team does this, the player still receives his money, but the cap hit is spread over the remaining years of the contract.

It’s a common cap relief strategy for contenders looking to maximize their competitive window.

And Detroit just happens to have several prime candidates, including All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions can generate a healthy degree of cap relief by restructuring the contract of St. Brown.

The two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler signed a four year, $120.01 million contract extension with the Lions in 2024. Additionally, as part of the deal, he received $77 million in guarantees, per OverTheCap.

With that said, St. Brown is set to carry a pricey 2026 cap number, but converting $27.5 million of his base salary into bonuses over five years could lower his cap hit to roughly $11.594 million. It would create north of $21 million in savings.

“We've had discussions on those, for sure,” Holmes said of potentially restructuring contracts, during his NFL Combine media session. “You're always in kind of a waiting mode and kind of see if (the cap) is going to go up or down and how much room you may have, but we have had some of those discussions.”

St. Brown, who has become one of the game’s very best receivers, is coming off his fourth consecutive campaign with over 105 catches and more than 1,160 receiving yards.

Restructuring his contract would help resolve the organization’s looming cap issue. Plus, it’d allow the Lions to more easily re-sign their other core players (i.e. Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell) and add external pieces in free agency.

Of course, restructures push money into future seasons, and Detroit must be careful not to mortgage tomorrow for today.

However, equipped with serious Super Bowl aspirations, there is sound logic behind this kind of cap maneuvering for Holmes & Co.

Now the onus is on the Lions to execute this cap-saving strategy.