Lions fans say they’re cheap — so why is Detroit spending more on defense than contenders in 2026? And where the money is going to
Lions fans say Detroit is cheap, but the numbers tell a very different story—especially when you look at how much they’re actually spending on defense compared to other contenders.
Since the Detroit Lions finished off a 15-2 season and limped into the playoffs in 2024 as one of the most injured teams in history, and lost to the Washington Commanders, a lot of Lions fans have felt that the only way to fix that problem was to ignore all the nuance of the situation and spend a ton of money and trade for expensive players.
Literally no proof that this strategy rarely works will sway that argument. The thing you hear a lot is that Brad Holmes is cheap. Especially on defense. That, along with claims that the Lions need to be more like the Eagles, Rams, 49ers, Packers, and Bills. Well…
The Lions’ defense is more expensive than the Eagles, Rams, 49ers, Packers, and Bills
That right there sure does say a lot. Where the disconnect comes from is that some Lions fans are so concerned with the team going out and getting high-priced elite players while totally ignoring that they have high-priced elite players on defense right now. They simply drafted them instead of signing or trading for them.
What this also shows is that the teams you think are going out and signing or trading for the big-name players you think they are just aren’t, with the Rams being the exception here.
So how does this break down for the Lions? Here’s where they’re spending money on defense and where that ranks among the rest of the NFL:
Detroit Lions’ Positional Spending
- Interior Defensive line: 12th in the league at $$41,112,487
- Edge: 25th in the league at $20,237,359
- Linebackers: 10th in the league at $21,714,812
- Cornerbacks: 9th in the league at $35,836,036
- Safeties: 21st in the league at $17,158,104
The Lions are a Brian Branch extension away from having one of the league’s most expensive secondaries. They just need to figure out how to keep these guys healthy, and they could show what they can do out there. They even got better back there this offseason.
Ok, now let’s look at it in another way. Because I know the argument can shift to “But the other teams are paying more at the positions that matter more.” So let’s take a look at the rankings for each of the teams we named to see how they’re paying.
| Team | IDL | Edge | LB | CB | S |
| Lions | 12th | 20th | 10th | 9th | 21st |
| Rams | 18th | 21st | 28th | 17th | 10th |
| Eagles | 23rd | 29th | 20th | 26th | 31st |
| 49ers | 30th | 9th | 4th | 23rd | 27th |
| Bills | 21st | 12th | 25th | 25th | 28th |
| Packers | 14th | 15th | 15th | 24th | 17th |
There you go. The Packers are paying Micah Parsons, and the 49ers are paying Nick Bosa. The Lions have most of their edge money going to Aidan Hutchinson and then have a second-round rookie to pay. They could potentially have a big bill in a few years if Moore turns out to be a stud.
The interesting one is safety. At least until Branch gets paid, the Lions are getting some really good value at the position for as deep as it is.
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