Detroit Lions executive vice president and general manager Brad Holmes speaks during media availability Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How Projected 2026 Salary Cap Benefits Detroit Lions

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By John Maakaron | Last updated Jan 30, 2026 3:29 PM ET

The Detroit Lions have been informed by the league the 2026 salary cap is expected to be higher than it was last season.

According to NFL media, "The NFL informed clubs today it is projecting a 2026 salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club, per source. That would represent another significant jump from this year’s $279.2 million cap number, and nearly $100M than the $208.2M cap in 2022."

Detroit has several key players that are eligible for contract extensions, including several players from the 2023 draft class.

Currently, general manager Brad Holmes must find avenues to restructure contracts to get back over the salary cap.

The team is currently nearly $17 million over the cap, but are expected to gain a significant amount of cap space by restructuring the contract of veteran quarterback Jared Goff.

Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown could also restructure their contracts to aid the team's salary cap situation.

Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow potentially being off the books and moving on from running back David Montgomery is also still on the table.

Detroit typically likes to leave approximately $15-20 million in emergency funds available throughout the season, just in case a significant amount of injuries impact the team.

With additional cap space going into the 2026 season, Detroit may elect to bring back a couple of their own free agents, including Alex Anzalone, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Roy Lopez.

The NFL informed clubs today it is projecting a 2026 salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club, per source.

That would represent another significant jump from this year’s $279.2 million cap number, and nearly $100M than the $208.2M cap in 2022. pic.twitter.com/3Mr146H01C
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2026

Vikings fire general manager

After four seasons at the helm, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision on Friday to part ways with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

A released statement by the NFC North squad read, "Following our annual end-of-season organizational meetings over the last several weeks and after careful consideration, we have decided it is in the best interest of the team to move forward with new leadership of our football operations. These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for Kwesi's contributions and commitment to the organization over the past four years and wish him and his family the best in the future."

Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings Executive Vice president of Football Operations, will serve to aid the front office through the completion of the 2026 NFL Draft. Afterwords, a search for a new general manager will begin.

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