The Detroit Lions have made the reported news official. The team has re-signed cornerback Will Harris to a one-year deal.
The terms of the deal are a little complicated. Harris re-signed with the Lions using a contractual device known as the veteran salary benefit. Basically, it allows the Lions to pay Harris the fully guaranteed $2.58 million contract for one year, but only count $1,317,500 against the Lions’ salary cap.
The best explanation for the veteran salary benefit comes from Russell Street Report,
The Veteran Salary Benefit (VSB) rule was created by the 2020 CBA and replaced the old Minimum Salary Benefit (MSB) Rule. These rules were put in place to allow veteran players to be signed to Cap-friendly deals instead of being replaced by cheaper, more Cap-friendly, younger players. The Veteran Salary Benefit allows veteran players to be signed to 1-year contracts with the applicable minimum salary (based on the player’s service time) and a small signing bonus ($152,500 in 2022), but only have to count that player at the salary level of a player with only 2 years of service time (plus the bonus).
In effect, Harris was able to sign for nearly double the amount that will be billed to the Lions’ salary cap accounting. Had he signed with another team, he wouldn’t have been able to get that benefit.
The Lions had two free agents who were eligible for the benefit, Harris and EDGE Austin Bryant. Because the Lions used it on Harris, Bryant is ineligible to get it. Bryant remains unsigned.
