It was bandied about among a variety of fans and pundits alike, and now it's official: Michael Brockers is no longer a member of the Detroit Lions.
The veteran defensive lineman became a cap casualty of the Lions Friday, freeing up $10 million in salary-cap space for the organization. As a result of Brockers' release, Detroit is also set to incur a dead-cap hit of $3.975M, according to Spotrac.
The dead-cap hits from Brockers and from wide receiver DJ Chark's contract being voided earlier this offseason mean that the Lions will owe $10,256,219 in dead-cap costs heading into 2023.
On the flip side, with the news of Brockers being cut, Lions general manager Brad Holmes will now have approximately $26 million, in available cap space, to spend on free agents this offseason.
That total is far from anything to sneeze at, as it gives the Lions the 10th-most cap space to play with, per Spotrac. Subsequently, Detroit will likely have room to sign two high-end free agents, if it pleases.
"We would like to thank Michael Brockers for his leadership over the last two seasons," Holmes said in a prepared statement. "As one of our team captains in 2022, Brock's veteran voice and presence were instrumental in helping guide and develop our young locker room. He is one of the true professionals of our game and we have the highest respect for him as a man. We wish him and his family well on their next chapter."
Brockers, a first-round pick of the then-St. Louis Rams in the 2012 NFL Draft, spent the past two seasons in the Motor City. He was acquired by Holmes & Co. from the Rams in March of 2021, in exchange for a seventh-round pick in this year's draft.
Upon being acquired, Brockers instantly became a leader inside the locker room for Detroit's young roster.
In his inaugural season with the Lions, he was a full-time starter, and suited up for 16 games. However, he produced just 52 total tackles and one sack.
Then, in his second campaign in Motown, he saw his playing time significantly decrease. The 32-year-old logged just 29 percent of the team's defensive snaps, and played in only six games.
Yet, the defensive captain -- who was Detroit's oldest player in 2022 -- continued to be an invaluable mentor to the team's young defensive linemen, including the likes of Isaiah Buggs, John Cominsky and Aidan Hutchinson.
Buggs and Cominsky, who are both restricted free agents, combined to absorb the playing time of Brockers this past season, and are each expected to be re-signed this offseason.
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