With a free agency around the corner, the Detroit Lions won’t have much available cap space to shop with in the market. One of the main reasons is an abundance of dead log space.
Only three teams will have more dead cap value in the 2021 season than the Lions. Detroit is contributing more than $ 20,262 million to dead cap room.
Most everything is related to the trade in Matthew Stafford. The Lions ate $ 19 million in a dead cap room on Stafford’s contract when they agreed to trade him in for the Rams. Romeo Okwara costs the Lions just over $ 900,000 in dead cap, and Jason Huntley is counting $ 217,734 after the Lions scrapped the fifth round a year ago.
The three teams above the Lions are mainly there for quarterback trades and huge cap hits to match.
Philadelphia has more than $ 40 million in dead cap, with more than $ 34 million tied to the ongoing Carson Wentz trade with the Colts. The Eagles also swallowed $ 5.8 million in dead cap this week when they released WR DeSean Jackson.
Next up is Stafford’s new team, the Los Angeles Rams. They paid more than $ 22 million in dead money to Goff in the ongoing transaction. Todd Gurley, who wrapped off-season last season, is still counting as a $ 8.4 million caphit in 2021. Linebacker Leonard Floyd is counting $ 3.3 million after he was released.
Carolina also has more dead money than the Lions due to a series of moves. Nearly half of the Panthers’ dead money comes from DT Kawann Short, who was released earlier this month.