Detroit Lions cut candidates to free up NFL salary cap space

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Detroit Lions cut candidates to free up NFL salary cap space

Josh Helmer, Lions Wire

Wed, February 4, 2026 at 1:45 PM UTC

2 min read

Last Friday, the NFL shared its projected 2026 salary cap range to its clubs.

Using the midpoint of the projected 2026 salary cap range ($303.5 million), the Lions are projected to be $8.53 million over the cap according to Over The Cap. At the moment, the Lions rank 26th in cap space, per Over The Cap's projections.

It might sound alarming at first, but there's avenues for the Lions to create cap space in a hurry. By restructuring quarterback Jared Goff's $55 million base salary into prorated bonuses, the Lions can create more than $40 million in cap savings.

There are other restructure moves the Lions can consider to open up more than $90 million in cap space.

Another avenue that Detroit can and likely will utilize to create cap space is by cutting several players to create some cap savings. The cap savings are different for pre-June 1 and post-June 1 releases, and that could inform some of Detroit's decisions if the Lions are motivated to free up money quickly for free agency.

With that in mind, let's take a look at possible Lions cut candidates and what the cap savings look like for each as pre-June 1 and post-June 1 releases, per Spotrac:

OT Taylor Decker

Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker takes the field during player introductions before the Detroit Lions game against the Carolina Panthers at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.

2026 cap hit: $21,048,000

Released before March 15: $11,604,000 in 2026 cap savings ($9,444,000 in 2026 dead cap)

Released after March 15, but before June 1: $10,104,000 in 2026 cap savings ($10,944,000 in 2026 dead cap)

Released after June 1: $17,900,000 in 2026 cap savings ($3,148,000 in 2026 dead cap, $6,296,000 in 2027 dead cap)

IOL Graham Glasgow

Dec 4, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) greets center Graham Glasgow (60) during warm ups before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

2026 cap hit: $8,437,500

Released before March 15: $5,562,500 in 2026 cap savings ($2,875,000 in 2026 dead cap)

Released after March 15, but before June 1: $5,062,500 in 2026 cap savings ($3,375,000 in 2026 dead cap)

Released after June 1: $7 million ($1,437,500 in 2026 dead cap, $1,437,500 in 2027 dead cap)

TE Brock Wright

Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) makes a catch against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

2026 cap hit: $4,734,000

Pre-June 1 release: $827,000 in 2026 cap savings ($3,907,000 in 2026 dead cap)

Post-June 1 release: $3,580,000 in 2026 cap savings ($1,154,000 in 2026 dead cap, $2,753,000 in 2027 dead cap)

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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions cut candidates to free up NFL salary cap space

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