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Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Lions Post-Training Camp Salary Cap Update

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By Christian Booher | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 9:24 AM ET

Final roster cuts are out of the way, and the Detroit Lions have put the finishing touches on their 53-man roster heading into the regular season.

As a result, some changes have been made to the financial situation the Lions are in for the upcoming season. Currently, general manager Brad Holmes has $34,042,391 in available cap space to spend for the 2025 season.

However, with the cap space situation currently looking grim based on projections for the 2026 season, the Lions may elect to roll over a significant portion of that money into next season to help with future extensions.

Detroit has multiple extensions kicking in for their first season in 2025, including quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, defensive tackle Alim McNeill and offensive tackle Taylor Decker. Fellow offensive tackle Penei Sewell is still on his fifth-year option for this season, so his extension will kick in beginning with the 2026 season.

The Lions have some dead cap money on the books for the upcoming season, totaling $29,470,316. Their top three dead cap hits are players already on the books in Carlton Davis ($9,823,456), Cam Sutton ($6,540,000) and Frank Ragnow ($4,900,000).

Davis brought some dead money onto the Lions' books for this season when the team acquired him via trade last year. The team attempted to void the final two years of Sutton's contract after he was released due to a legal matter, and Ragnow has his final two years of guarantees spread out in dead money over this year and next after announcing his retirement.

Detroit also took on some additional dead cap money with their decisions on cutdown day, as several players with guaranteed money were cut on Tuesday. This group includes Tim Patrick, as the team will incur $1,245,00 in dead money after trading him to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Lions also took on dead money after their decisions to cut Jalen Reeves-Maybin ($2.75 million), Hendon Hooker ($389,823) and Dan Skipper ($100,000) among others.

Players such as Skipper, wide receivers Jakobie Keeney-James ($240,666) and Jackson Meeks ($206,666) and defensive lineman Keith Cooper Jr. ($131,666) created dead money when they were cut but returned to the team on the practice squad.

Detroit's practice squad will be paid a total of $4,068,000 amongst its 16 members, with the four highest-paid players to make $315,000 and the other 12 to be paid $234,000 apiece.