The Detroit Lions are continuing to re-sign many of their own free agents. After bringing back Josh Reynolds and adding D.J. Chark Jr. in free agency, Kalif Raymond will also remain in the team’s wideouts room in 2022. The 5-foot-8, 182-pound wideout proved to be a versatile weapon for the Lions’ offense in 2021.According to SI All Lions writer Christian Booher, “The speedy wideout was an important piece of the Lions offense in 2021 in addition to handling punt return duties. He didn’t do anything spectacular in the return game, but showed the ability to burn out of position defenders when given the chance. He caught 48 passes for 576 yards and four touchdowns in 2021, and Campbell found creative ways to get him involved after taking over play-calling duties in Week 10.”Quarterback Jared Goff complimented Raymond’s practice habits, and referenced that the 27-year-old practices just as hard as Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, his former teammates with the Los Angeles Rams. Recommended Lions Articles”I think I’ve been lucky to work with some really good receivers who practice hard and like, he practices hard. Cooper Kupp was the same. Robert Woods was the same. Brandin Cooks was the same, and Kalif is the same in that way, where you know where he’s going to be. You can trust him,” Goff told reporters. “You can rely on him and he’s accountable, and that’s all you can ask for as a quarterback.”© Quinn Harris-USA TODAY SportsJoin the AllLions CommunityBecome a premium AllLions member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more.BECOME A MEMBER .
Detroit Lions 2022 NFL free agency primer
The Detroit Lions will have an opportunity to start the process of filling needs on a roster that only won three games in 2021. The legal tampering period will allow NFL free agents to reach agreements with teams, beginning on Monday at noon. Official contracts cannot be signed until Wednesday at 4 p.m. For Detroit’s coaching staff and front office, finding gritty, talented and locker room leaders will be the objective all throughout this offseason. “Anybody that wants to come into our building, if you want to know what we’re about, we’re about cutting it loose. We’re going to be aggressive, and we don’t cower from anybody. We respect all of our opponents, but we don’t fear any of them,” head coach Dan Campbell said at the combine. “If you want to come to Detroit, you’re going to be gritty, and you’re going to be with a bunch of guys that freaking love the game. They’re going to give all their heart and soul, and we’re going to cut it loose. So that’s what we’re about.”Re-signed Lions free agents Recommended Lions Articles
- Center Evan Brown signed a one-year deal.
- Wide receiver Josh Reynolds signed a two-year, $6 million deal.
- Fullback Jason Cabinda signed a two-year, $4.1 million deal.
- Linebacker Josh Woods signed a one-year, $1.55 million contract.
- Safety C.J. Moore signed a one-year, $1.75M contract.
Current Lions free agents
- QB Tim Boyle
- QB David Blough
- WR Kalif Raymond
- WR KhaDarel Hodge
- OT Tyrell Crosby
- OT Will Holden
- DT Joel Heath
- DT Nick Williams
- EDGE Charles Harris
- LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- LB Alex Anzalone
- LB Shaun-Dion Hamilton
- S Tracy Walker
- S Jalen Elliott
- S Dean Marlowe
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Detroit Lions NFL salary cap update ahead of free agency
The Detroit Lions have announced several new contract signings this week. As a result, the picture is slightly more clear regarding just how much salary cap space the team will have to spend in the next couple of weeks. The NFL announced that the 2022 salary cap for league teams will be $208,200,000. The Lions will add approximately $9.5 million in rollover funds and cap adjustments. This brings the total to $217,680,572 as a starting point for general manager Brad Holmes to work with. As has been constantly explained, the salary cap figures are fluid and can change daily. Here is now we came to our figure of the Lions having approximately $22 million in cap space. Recommended Lions Articles
- Trey Flowers being released will add the team $10.4 million in cap space.
- The top-51 contracts on the Lions current roster costs the team approximately $183,720,892.
- Estimating Josh Reynolds cap number in 2022 will be $3.5 million.
- The Lions re-signed Ryan McCollum and Rashod Berry, which figure to cost the team $1-2 million in cap space in total.
- It will likely cost the team $16 million to sign their 2022 draft class.
Here is how we ended up calculating the math associated with the cap (in millions):
- 217+10.4 = 227.4
- 183.7+3.5+2+16 = 205.2
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Detroit Lions salary cap restructuring NFL contract Jared Goff
The Detroit Lions front office still has high hopes that quarterback Jared Goff can win games in Motown.”Jared, I can’t say enough about his resiliency, and I’ve been talking about it at length,” general manager Brad Holmes told reporters. “You guys have heard me talk about it all of the time about just the mental toughness and the physical toughness and his resiliency. That’s why he fit from the very get-go.”While the team can easily move on from Goff’s contract following the 2022 season, a restructuring of his current contract could add $16,776,667 in additional cap space for the front office to work with in 2022.The 27-year-old’s 2022 base base salary would be reduced from $10.6 million to $1 million.Goff would go from currently having $15 million in guaranteed money to now securing $40.1 million guaranteed.If Holmes and the front office decide to restructure his deal, the organization would essentially be handcuffed to the veteran quarterback for the next few seasons, as his cap number would be ridiculously high to move on from. Recommended Lions ArticlesCurrent contract of Lions QB Jared GoffYearBase salaryProrated bonusAdditional bonusCap number2022$10,650,000$5,000,000$15,500,000$31,150,0002023$20,650,000$5,000,000$5,000,00$30,650,0002024$21,650,064$5,000,000$5,000,000$31,650,064Potential restructured contract of Lions QB Jared GoffYearBase salaryProrated bonusAdditional bonusesCap number2022$1,000,000$13,383,3330$14,383,3332023$20,650,000$13,383,333$5,000,000$39,033,3332024$21,650,064$13,383,334$5,000,000$40,033,398Join the AllLions CommunityBecome a premium AllLions member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more.BECOME A MEMBER .
NFL analyst says on Detroit Lions podcast Brad Holmes won’t spend big
The Detroit Lions just may not be in a position to add a big name free agent this offseason. In the second year of a multi-year rebuild, general manager Brad Holmes and the front office may just employ a similar strategy they utilized last offseason. Holmes was asked at his season-ending media session if his approach to his offseason will be different due to having increased resources. “We’re going to still find guys that fit. Regardless of however much resources that we have, we’re still going to find guys that are aligned, that truly fit what we’re about,” Holmes said. “You bring up the guys that had chips on their shoulders and things to prove, well a lot of times experiences shape people often. Like I said, we’re a gritty group, so I’m not saying that we’re looking for one-year deal guys, but we’re still looking at guys that fit who we are. We’ll just probably be able to get a little bit more.”Safety Marcus Williams is among the free agents that have been linked to Detroit due to his familiarity with head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Williams is expected to come with a hefty price tag, according to Spotrac. The 25-year-old’s market value is expected to be $15 million per year, estimating that he’ll be offered at least a five-year deal worth $75 million by prospective teams. Recommended Lions ArticlesPFF NFL analyst Ari Meirov appeared on the “Locked on Lions” podcast hosted by Matt Dery on Wednesday and disclosed his opinion on how the Lions will allocate resources in free agency. “When I look at this team, they’re bringing in a bunch of younger guys. You remember last year where it was like a bunch of one year deals or not big time contracts. I think they really want to, as I said before, really just build this from the ground up and do it the right way — where we’re just throwing around money on people when we’re not ready to win yet,” Meirov said. Meirov continued, “I don’t know if they’re ready to go out and just spend a ton of money on a big time player. I think it’s more about let’s just keep on adding more role players onto this team, more depth pieces onto this team. I don’t really envision them going crazy when it comes to anybody big. When it comes to cap space, they are in a solid position. Not the best, not the worst. They’re in the middle, I would say right now. They could make some moves to add more cap space, but I don’t really know if they’re ready yet to go in that direction.”Join the AllLions CommunityBecome a premium AllLions member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more.BECOME A MEMBER .