In the upcoming weeks leading up to the NFL free agency period, which begins on March 16, NFL teams, including our Detroit Lions, will be cutting some fat to free up some cap space to use on free agents.
On Thursday, The Athletic put out an article in which they take a look at potential cap casualties for each team in the NFL.
For the Lions, Chris Burke of The Athletic immediately mentioned DE Trey Flowers, who most expect to be released, but they also mentioned four other players, including G Halapoulivaati Vaitai, DL Michael Brockers, DB Will Harris, RB Jamaal Williams.
Here is what Burke had to say about the Lions situation:
Potential cap casualty: DE Trey Flowers
2022 cap hit: $23.2 million
Cap savings if cut after June 1: $16 million
Dead money if cut after June 1: $7.2 million
GM Brad Holmes cleared out most of the Lions’ bad contracts during last season’s roster bloodletting, but Flowers remains on the books through 2023. Aside from Jared Goff’s number, this is the biggest cap hit Detroit has for next year. It’s one of the last remnants of Bob Quinn’s tenure as general manager — he handed Flowers a massive five-year, $90 million deal after Flowers posted a career-high 7.5 sacks in ‘18. Though Flowers did produce another 7.0 sacks in his first season as a Lion, he never took things to the next level. Worse, he’s been unable to stay healthy, having missed a combined 19 games over the past two seasons.
Detroit would love to have Flowers’ veteran leadership up front. That alone is not worth more than $23 million, though. — Chris Burke
Other players to watch: G Halapoulivaati Vaitai, DL Michael Brockers, DB Will Harris, RB Jamaal Williams
Nation, most believe Flowers will be cut but of the four other players listed above, who do you think could be sent packing to free up some salary-cap space for the Lions?
