No level of success is easy in the NFL, but some levels are a lot easier than others. How many one-year wonders have we seen over the years? How many teams go all-in for a couple of seasons, only for the long-term effects of those decisions to send them tumbling back to the basement? Building a roster that can sustain success is something special.
And the Detroit Lions have done exactly that. Looking at the list of the Lions' highest-paid players something becomes clear very quickly: this front office has not missed the mark on many major deals, and their cap space is being spent the right way to keep the Lions in contention for years.
Detroit Fans Can Rest Easy Seeing List of Highest-Paid Lions Players
Player | Average Salary | 2025 Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|
Jared Goff | $53.0 million | $32.6 million |
Amon-Ra St. Brown | $30.0 million | $13.9 million |
Penei Sewell | $28.0 million | $9.5 million |
Alim McNeill | $24.3 million | $6.1 million |
Kerby Joseph | $21.5 million | $3.9 million |
Taylor Decker | $20.0 million | $23.1 million |
D.J. Reed | $16.0 million | $4.7 million |
D.J. Reader | $11.0 million | $12.9 million |
David Montgomery | $9.1 million | $8.3 million |
Money Well Spent
Obviously, there's some sticker-shock seeing Jared Goff at the top making $53 million per season, but paying your QB like that is simply the reality of the NFL. That number still leaves Goff as just the league's No. 8 highest-paid QB on a per-year basis, and there are a total of 11 players at the position making at least $50 million per year. Consider that Tua Tagovailoa ($53.1 million) and Trevor Lawrence ($55.0 million) have a higher average annual salary than Goff. And where the Lions' salary list really gets interesting is below him.
St. Brown and Sewell are unquestionably among the best players at their respective positions. PFF had St. Brown graded No. 5 among 133 WRs last season, while Sewell was 3rd among 81 tackles.
And then how about Alim McNeill ranking 9th among 118 DTs, and Kerby Joseph grading out 1st among 98 safeties?
That's not too bad for a top-five. And of course, we've got Aidan Hutchinson due for an extension that will undoubtedly place him near the top of this list (for context, Myles Garrett just got $40 million per year on his new deal), but it's hard to argue that he won't be worth every penny as long as he can return from injury at full strength. PFF actually had him graded out ahead of Garrett (at No. 1 among edge rushers) in his limited sample of action last season).
The Misses
With the size of NFL rosters, however, you won't find any teams that don't have any misses. Those numbers next to D.J. Reed and D.J. Reader's names don't feel great, and on the other side of the ball Taylor Decker is starting to look overpaid after a down year. Reader is entering the final year of his contract though, and it's not like Reed and Decker are breaking the bank.
Overcoming the Odds and Ignoring the Noise
You can forgive Lions fans for being nervous about the team's long-term outlook. After decades of struggles, disappointing finishes to the last two seasons have to feel like a bad omen. And the national NFL media has made a ton of stink about Ben Johnson's departure and how that could sink the offense. The Lions are even down at No. 5 in FanDuel Sportsbook's Super Bowl odds this year, only one spot ahead of the Los Angeles Rams. If you listen to all of that noise, it could feel like the Lions' status as a perennial contender could be on shaky legs.
But roster construction is one of the most underrated parts of success in the NFL, and the Lions' front office has absolutely nailed it. That entire elite top-five is under contract through at least 2028, and you can expect Detroit to remain among the favorites to win the NFC for the foreseeable future.