How the Lions can gain an extra $52 million in addition to restructuring Jared Goff’s contract

The Lions can open up some extra cash by doing these contract restructure

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Free agency is right around the corner, and the Detroit Lions need to clear some cap space. We’ve already discussed how the Lions can generate additional revenue in several ways. First, there’s the Jared Goff restructure that can open up $40 million. The other is the potential retirements of Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow.

There are actually three other things that the Lions could do that would help them gain an extra $52 million. Let’s talk about them.

Restructuring Alim McNeill

We’ll start here. The Lions can save $17 million against the cap by utilizing the void year. It will bring his 2026 cap hit from $28.8 million down to $11.8 million. The problem the Lions are running into here, as you can see, is that the money just gets kicked down the road. The Lions are handcuffing themselves to McNeill until 2028. If he gets back to the player he was before the ACL injury, well then that’s good news.

If not, well then, the Lions might have to figure something out later. Intially the Lions could have cut him after 2026, but they kicked that dead money over to 2027 and 2028. This isn’t even a max restructure because it just didn’t feel safe enough to do. So, this might be a deal the Lions look to not do. But it’s possible.

YearBase SalarySigning ProrationRoster BonusOption ProrationWorkoutCap HitDead Cap
20262.39 million2.00 million—2.97 million0.15 million11.80 million41.71 million
202721.92 million2.00 million—2.97 million0.15 million32.01 million30.06 million
202821.42 million2.00 million—2.97 million0.15 million33.51 million20.81 million
2029 (Void)———2.97 million—7.26 million11.55 million
2030 (Void)—————4.29 million4.29 million

Restructuring Amon-Ra St. Brown

The Lions save $21 million going this route. Like the McNeill deal, they have added an extra void year in 2030. This actually makes a lot more sense with St. Brown, because he has proven to be at the top of his game. So what the Lions would likely do here is sign St. Brown to an extension in 2028 to spread the money out a little more.

YearBase SalarySigning ProrationRoster BonusOption ProrationWorkoutCap HitDead Cap (Pre-June 1)
20261.11 million3.30 million0.51 million1.70 million0.10 million12.00 million46.39 million
202723.37 million3.30 million0.51 million1.70 million0.10 million34.26 million35.10 million
202835.40 million3.30 million0.51 million6.70 million0.10 million50.29 million23.47 million
2029 (Void)———6.70 million—11.98 million18.19 million
2030 (Void)—————5.28 million5.28 million

Restructuring Penei Sewell

Ok, the Lions can save $14 million in 2026 if they do this and wouldn’t have to add an extra void year on the deal — because his current deal with an already added void goes through 2030, and a team can’t spread cap hits for more than five years anyway. Like St. Brown, Sewell is a proven commodity, and the Lions could look to give him an extension in 2028.

YearBase SalarySigning ProrationRoster BonusOption ProrationWorkoutCap HitDead Cap
20262.28 million3.00 million—5.00 million0.10 million13.88 million31.88 million
202723.90 million3.00 million—5.00 million0.10 million37.00 million27.60 million
202825.90 million3.00 million—5.00 million0.10 million39.00 million18.65 million
202919.40 million3.00 million2.50 million5.00 million0.10 million30.00 million9.15 million
2030 (Void)—————3.52 million3.52 million

We’re going to see what the Lions look to do soon enough. If I had to guess, the Lions will go with the Goff’s and St. Brown’s restructures. The McNeill situation needs to play out a little more, and I think the Lions could probably get away with not touching Sewell’s contract at this time.

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