The Detroit Lions were able to add approximately $5.2 million in additional cap space by trading cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons.
It was not expected that Okudah would have had his fifth-year option picked up due to his schematic fit not exactly being a match with Detroit's current regime.
As a result, the team decided to make the decision to end his tenure in Motown.
Trading the former No. 3 overall pick added $5,486,095 in dead cap monies, bringing the total in 2023 of dead money to $15,742,314.
The Falcons will take on Okudah's $5.2 million in salary cap and Detroit is no longer on the hook for the $10.3 million that would have been applied to the 2023 cap.
General manager Brad Holmes was likely seeking to add more cushion in order to have funds available for the draft, practice squad transactions, in-season bonuses and cap space available for a rainy day.
Following the trade, the team has $26,989,946 in salary-cap space.
Lions' current salary-cap situation
- Adjusted NFL salary cap -- $227,209,702
- Active Lions contracts -- $199,733,219
- Current dead cap -- $15,736,537
- 2022 rollover -- $2,223,156
- Total (all) -- $215,469,756
- Total (top 51 contracts) -- $200,219,756
- Estimated cap space (all) -- $11,739,946
- Estimated cap space available (top 51) -- $26,989,946
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