Detroit Lions: NFL Contracts and their Complexity

Beyond the Player’s Value

When we look at player’s cap hits for the upcoming season, there are more things to consider beyond the obvious: does the player’s value equal the cost he counts against the team’s cap for the current year?

Depending on the structure of a player’s contract it may cost a team more to release them then to keep them on the team. Let’s look at newly signed defensive back Johnson Bademosi. At first glance, it may appear like Bademosi is a player on the roster bubble, but when you examine his contract you’ll see why I think he’s a lock for the Lions 53-man roster.

This offseason, one of the first free agents Bob Quinn signed was Johnson Bademosi. He signed a 2-year, $4,500,000 deal. With that deal came a $2,000,000 signing bonus (paid in full now and prorated over the 2-year deal for salary cap accounting) and a $50,000 workout bonus for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Also, factored into his deal $900,000 of the contract (beyond the bonuses) would be guaranteed.

So Bademosi’s deal has a base salary of $1,100,000 ($900,000 of it fully guaranteed) a roster bonus of $1,000,000, and a $50,000 workout bonus, which equals a $2,150,000 cap hit for the Lions in 2016.

If Bademosi is released, his base salary of $1,100,000 would normally come off the Lions cap entirely, but because he has $900,000 in guaranteed money, they actually only free up $200,000.

In addition, per the NFL/NFLPA collective bargaining agreement, once he is released his signing bonus is no longer prorated and becomes a cap hit for the Lions in the current year. So that signing bonus cap hit of $1,000,000 would now become a $2,000,000 cap hit.

So to recap, If the Lions keep Bademosi on the 53-man roster for the 2016 season, he will have a cap hit of $2,150,000, but if they release him the team will have a $2,900,000 (full signing bonus $2,000,000 and the $900,000 in guaranteed salary). I highly doubt the Lions would take an additional cap hit of $750,000 for Bademosi to not play for them.

So the next time you see an article from a website who is all about putting players on lists, take what they say with a grain of salt. Things are more complicated then they appear at first glance.

Hypothetically, if you think the Lions were thinking about releasing Matthew Stafford, know that while his cap hit for 2016 is $22,500,000, the Lions would only free up $11,500,000 by cutting him because of cap penalties.

So if you aren’t a fan of Matthew Stafford, tell me who is the free agent quarterback who would cost $11,500,000 that is better? And if you want to become a Matthew Stafford fan, I encourage you take some time and read my breakdown of Stafford’s 2015 stats: here.

Next: The Lions Current Cap Situation