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For 2014, the Detroit Lions currently have slightly more than $2 million in cap space. This is based on the sum of their top 51 cap hits, dead money and carryovers/adjustments from last season. Once the regular season arrives and the top 51 rule ends, their cap space will change, but we know that they've got a couple million dollars to work with right now.
What does the Lions' cap situation look like beyond 2014? We obviously don't know what the salary cap will be set at beyond this season, but to get an idea of what the future holds for the Lions, I put together a cap chart that includes each of the next seven seasons. You can take a look at each player's cap hit for this year and beyond, and you can also see when each player is set to hit free agency. In addition, you can find out how much money the Lions have committed to the cap through the 2020 season. Check it out:
(Special thanks to the Free Press, Spotrac, Over the Cap and the NFLPA. I couldn't have assembled these numbers without the great resources provided by those four sites.)
| Player | 2014 cap hit | 2015 cap hit | 2016 cap hit | 2017 cap hit | 2018 cap hit | 2019 cap hit | 2020 cap hit | |
| QB | Matthew Stafford | $15,820,000 | $17,721,250 | $22,500,000 | $22,000,000 | UFA | ||
| QB | Dan Orlovsky | $635,000 | UFA | |||||
| QB | Kellen Moore | $576,668 | RFA | |||||
| QB | James Franklin | $420,666 | $510,666 | $600,668 | RFA | |||
| RB | Reggie Bush | $4,500,000 | $4,500,000 | $5,000,000 | UFA | |||
| RB | Joique Bell | $2,300,000 | $3,500,000 | $3,000,000 | UFA | |||
| RB | Theo Riddick | $517,750 | $607,750 | $697,750 | UFA | |||
| RB | Mikel Leshoure | $1,085,357 | UFA | |||||
| RB | Montell Owens | $1,130,000 | UFA | |||||
| RB | Steven Miller | $420,000 | $510,000 | ERFA | ||||
| FB | Jed Collins | $710,000 | UFA | |||||
| FB | Chad Abram | $422,500 | $512,500 | $602,500 | RFA | |||
| WR | Calvin Johnson | $13,058,000 | $20,558,000 | $24,008,000 | $21,358,000 | $17,000,000 | $18,250,000 | UFA |
| WR | Golden Tate | $3,100,000 | $5,350,000 | $6,350,000 | $7,600,000 | $8,600,000 | UFA | |
| WR | Ryan Broyles | $1,003,227 | $1,170,704 | UFA | ||||
| WR | Jeremy Ross | $570,000 | ERFA | |||||
| WR | Kevin Ogletree | $635,000 | UFA | |||||
| WR | TJ Jones | $446,550 | $536,550 | $626,550 | $716,550 | UFA | ||
| WR | Kris Durham | $645,000 | RFA | |||||
| WR | Corey Fuller | $420,000 | $510,000 | ERFA | ||||
| WR | Pat Edwards | $495,000 | $585,000 | RFA | ||||
| WR | Cody Wilson | $420,000 | ERFA | |||||
| WR | Naaman Roosevelt | $570,000 | RFA | |||||
| WR | Andrew Peacock | $420,833 | $510,833 | $600,834 | RFA | |||
| TE | Eric Ebron | $2,227,118 | $2,783,897 | $3,340,676 | $3,897,455 | TEAM OPTION | UFA | |
| TE | Brandon Pettigrew | $2,200,000 | $3,800,000 | $4,650,000 | $5,350,000 | UFA | ||
| TE | Joseph Fauria | $499,166 | $589,167 | RFA | ||||
| TE | Jordan Thompson | $420,000 | $510,000 | $600,000 | RFA | |||
| TE | Jacob Maxwell | $421,000 | $511,000 | $601,000 | RFA | |||
| OT | Riley Reiff | $2,180,100 | $2,543,450 | TEAM OPTION | UFA | |||
| OT | LaAdrian Waddle | $498,333 | $588,334 | RFA | ||||
| OT | Corey Hilliard | $1,900,000 | UFA | |||||
| OT | Cornelius Lucas | $426,666 | $516,666 | $606,668 | RFA | |||
| OT | Michael Williams | $436,287 | $601,287 | $691,287 | UFA | |||
| OT | J.B. Shugarts | $420,000 | ERFA | |||||
| OT | Bryce Quigley | $420,000 | $510,000 | $600,000 | RFA | |||
| OG | Rob Sims | $3,775,000 | UFA | |||||
| OG | Larry Warford | $714,250 | $849,250 | $932,250 | UFA | |||
| OG | Rodney Austin | $495,000 | $585,000 | ERFA | ||||
| OG | D.J. Morrell | $420,833 | $510,833 | $600,834 | RFA | |||
| OG | Alex Bullard | $420,166 | $510,166 | $600,168 | RFA | |||
| OG | A.J. Dalton | $420,833 | $510,833 | $600,834 | RFA | |||
| C | Dominic Raiola | $1,500,000 | UFA | |||||
| C | Travis Swanson | $574,868 | $689,842 | $804,815 | $919,789 | UFA | ||
| C | Darren Keyton | $420,000 | $510,000 | ERFA | ||||
| DE | Ziggy Ansah | $4,226,023 | $5,071,232 | $5,916,439 | TEAM OPTION | UFA | ||
| DE | Jason Jones | $3,683,333 | $3,983,333 | UFA | ||||
| DE | Devin Taylor | $570,146 | $660,146 | $750,146 | UFA | |||
| DE | Darryl Tapp | $635,000 | UFA | |||||
| DE | Larry Webster | $495,146 | $585,146 | $675,146 | $765,146 | UFA | ||
| DE | George Johnson | $570,000 | RFA | |||||
| DE | Kalonji Kashama | $420,000 | $510,000 | $600,000 | RFA | |||
| DT | Ndamukong Suh | $22,412,500 | $13,242,500 | UFA | ||||
| DT | Nick Fairley | $3,146,500 | UFA | |||||
| DT | C.J. Mosley | $1,725,000 | UFA | |||||
| DT | Caraun Reid | $467,220 | $557,220 | $647,220 | $737,220 | UFA | ||
| DT | Andre Fluellen | $570,000 | UFA | |||||
| DT | Jimmy Saddler-McQueen | $495,000 | $585,000 | ERFA | ||||
| DT | Xavier Proctor | $420,000 | $510,000 | ERFA | ||||
| DT | Gregory Hickman | $420,000 | $510,000 | $600,000 | RFA | |||
| LB | DeAndre Levy | $3,250,000 | $4,500,000 | UFA | ||||
| LB | Stephen Tulloch | $5,050,000 | $5,800,000 | $7,300,000 | UFA | |||
| LB | Kyle Van Noy | $927,655 | $1,159,569 | $1,391,483 | $1,623,396 | UFA | ||
| LB | Ashlee Palmer | $1,583,334 | UFA | |||||
| LB | Tahir Whitehead | $623,000 | $713,000 | UFA | ||||
| LB | Travis Lewis | $584,793 | $674,793 | UFA | ||||
| LB | Cory Greenwood | $645,000 | UFA | |||||
| LB | Julian Stanford | $570,000 | RFA | |||||
| LB | Brandon Hepburn | $420,000 | $510,000 | ERFA | ||||
| LB | Justin Jackson | $420,833 | $510,833 | $600,834 | RFA | |||
| CB | Darius Slay | $1,202,114 | $1,442,537 | $1,682,960 | UFA | |||
| CB | Rashean Mathis | $635,000 | UFA | |||||
| CB | Bill Bentley | $727,278 | $817,278 | UFA | ||||
| CB | Chris Greenwood | $570,000 | RFA | |||||
| CB | Nevin Lawson | $495,146 | $585,146 | $675,146 | $765,146 | UFA | ||
| CB | Cassius Vaughn | $570,000 | UFA | |||||
| CB | Jonte Green | $594,250 | $684,250 | UFA | ||||
| CB | Aaron Hester | $420,000 | ERFA | |||||
| CB | Mohammed Seisay | $421,666 | $511,666 | $601,668 | RFA | |||
| S | Glover Quin | $4,550,000 | $5,050,000 | $5,800,000 | $6,050,000 | UFA | ||
| S | James Ihedigbo | $1,125,000 | $2,000,000 | UFA | ||||
| S | Don Carey | $930,000 | $995,000 | $1,010,000 | UFA | |||
| S | DeJon Gomes | $645,000 | UFA | |||||
| S | Isa Abdul-Quddus | $695,000 | UFA | |||||
| S | Jerome Couplin | $422,000 | $512,000 | $602,000 | RFA | |||
| S | Gabe Lynn | $420,833 | $510,833 | $600,834 | RFA | |||
| K | Nate Freese | $434,856 | $524,856 | $614,856 | $704,856 | UFA | ||
| K | Giorgio Tavecchio | $420,000 | $510,000 | ERFA | ||||
| P | Sam Martin | $535,075 | $625,075 | $715,075 | UFA | |||
| LS | Don Muhlbach | $635,000 | UFA | |||||
| -- | Dead money | $5,563,879 | $3,900,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| COMMITTED TO CAP | $147,453,751 | $132,954,391 | $109,398,641 | $72,487,558 | $25,600,000 | $18,250,000 | $0 | |
In the coming days and weeks, we'll take a more in-depth look at the salary cap for each of these seasons, allowing us to focus on which players have the largest cap hits and who could be on the chopping block down the road. In the meantime, what jumps out to you when looking at this cap chart?