Lions now looking at about $25-$30 million available to spend on free agents article by Justin Rogers
Now you’re looking at $50-51 million remaining in the budget. Holding back an estimated $11 million for the draft class and another $10-15 million for a rainy-day fund to cover any
potential off season injuries, or space to absorb acquiring a player in a trade, the Lions can safely spend between $25-$30 million in free agency when the market opens.
By straight averages, that would be more than $32 million per year, but multi-year NFL contracts are typically back-loaded to offset the immediate cash funds the team pays out in signing bonuses.
So what can you buy with that amount? Well, quite a bit.
Going back to Flowers, Coleman and James, that trio of players only cost $11.6 million against the cap in their first year on the roster
I think more like 3 or 4 likely four We have depth now an this number takes into account WR we resigned the LS we resigned plus guess we gave reserve future deals.
We signed a rd 1 OG who has not panned out but is young an maybe new place will work out for him. Even if this year is just backup role G Josh Garnett.
Others signed an counted 12/31
The Detroit Lions sign C Russell Bodine, TE Paul Butler and TE Matt Sokol to Reserve/Future contracts.
12/30
The Detroit Lions sign WR Victor Bolden, WR Jonathan Duhart, LS James Fisher, P Jack Fox, S A.J. Howard, WR Tom Kennedy, T Matt Nelson, DT Olive Sagapolu, LB Christian Sam, G Casey Tucker and P Matt Wile to Reserve/Future contracts.
Plus after draft we will have UNDFA guys to look at
J Garnett OG spent three years with the 49ers after being selected in the first-round of the 2016 draft. Things did not pan out for him there, and he eventually was cut during final roster cuts prior to Week 1. He’ll now look for a fresh start in Detroit. Mike Jackson CB was drafted during the fifth round by the Cowboys in April but failed to make the season-opening roster and has since been on the team’s practice squad. Beau Benzschawel OG Joined the Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019. Played in two games last season. Jason CabindaLB The 23-year-old spent his first and only NFL season in 2018 with the Raiders, logging 21 tackles (14 solo) in 10 games. He got cut numbers game. Anthony Pittman LB Pittman was on the team’s practice squad prior to joining the active roster. The undrafted rookie will likely be making his NFL debut Week 17 and providing depth at outside linebacker. He played one game Christian Sam LB Sam spent his rookie season on injured reserve and was let go by the Patriots at September’s roster deadline. The 2018 sixth-round pick is still only 23 and could garner interest for a team’s practice squad.
Thats just few depth players we have plus ones we have had for couple seasons. Doesn’t mean they are stars or even starters but all a team needs is two or 3 to become more than depth an they are cheap
They would need max $10m for what you’ve called the rainy day fund
But whatever
I haven’t looked at this for real
They have what, 5-6 starters to replace?
That seems like a lot
Plus other teams have even more money
Tannehjll ave $29m per year?
Who’d have thunk …
It’s not right… so I will tell you again , it’s very simple …take the cap hit for the year for each player in 2019 that we drafted , add them together Hockenson $3,603,859, Tavai $1,253,449 , Harris $733,061, Austin Bryant $601,749…the rest make less then Bryant and were not top 51 players … That’s 4 players that count towards our salary cap number , when you add these 4 players you then have to drop 4 players off the salary cap …the bottom 4 players in salary that counted towards the cap, players 48 , 49, 50, 51 … those 4 players you drop add up to roughly $2.5 Million, that $2.5 that drops off the cap , that $2.5 almost covers all of Tavai, Bryant and Harris… for the purpose of salary cap space needed to be free …Leaving Hockenson’s Salary as the space you need to have free to cover the draft class in 2019 … give or take a couple $100K…Do it for SF from last year at pick #3 you will have an idea then .