By Sunday 
There’s a moment every offseason where hope quietly gives way to spreadsheets.
For the Detroit Lions, that moment has arrived — and it’s wearing a $69.6 million cap hit with Jared Goff’s name stitched on the back.
After playoff elimination snapped a two-year NFC North run, Detroit is heading into the future with less optimism and more math. And the math? It’s uncomfortable.
When the Season Ends, the Cap Reality Begins
With just one game left in 2025, the Lions already know what’s coming next: a brutally tight 2026 salary cap.
On paper, Detroit has about $5.8 million in projected space. In reality? They’re actually in the red, sitting at – $10.5 million in effective cap space once rookie deals and minimum roster requirements are factored in.
That means this offseason isn’t about shopping sprees. It’s about survival.
General manager Brad Holmes and the front office have decisions to make — and nearly all of them involve pushing money into the future.
The Goff Equation: Necessary… and Expensive
This is where things get pivotal.
Goff’s cap hit in 2026 sits just shy of $70 million, easily the largest number on Detroit’s books. The Lions can restructure his deal — spreading the pain across future seasons — but that relief comes with consequences.
Restructuring doesn’t erase money.
It just postpones the bill.
Still, if Detroit wants any flexibility at all, Goff’s contract is the most obvious lever to pull. The alternative? Cutting depth, losing veterans, and limiting roster upgrades in free agency.
None of those options scream “bounce-back season.”
Familiar Names, Uncomfortable Conversations
Goff isn’t alone in the spotlight.
Taylor Decker’s future suddenly feels uncertain after injury issues and his own admission that the physical toll is adding up. David Montgomery, Graham Glasgow, and Brock Wright all lack guaranteed money in 2026. Each name represents a decision — keep, restructure, or move on.
Even the future is already borrowing against itself.
The Lions must soon decide on fifth-year options for Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell. Those choices won’t hit until 2027, but once exercised, that money is spoken for. Another reminder that today’s optimism is tomorrow’s restriction.
Dead Money, Real Consequences
Detroit is also carrying over $4.3 million in dead cap, including payouts tied to retired center Frank Ragnow and waived players like Hendon Hooker.
Dead money doesn’t play snaps.
But it absolutely plays defense — against your flexibility.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t a rebuild.
It’s a reckoning.
The Lions aren’t broken — they’re just expensive. The roster is talented, but tightly wound. Every restructure buys time. Every delay pushes pressure forward.
And at the center of it all sits Jared Goff’s $70 million question:
Do the Lions lean into the future… or keep borrowing from it?
Either way, the clock is ticking — and the math isn’t getting any friendlier.