Thanks to shrewd work by Detroit Lions COO Mike Disner, GM Brad Holmes and the rest of the front office, the Lions enter the 2023 season in very good overall shape on the salary cap front. Giving a detailed analysis for each team, the analysts at Pro Football Focus determined the Lions are a top-five team in terms of salary cap management and outlook for the next three seasons.
In the three-year cap analysis from PFF, the Lions ranked an impressive fifth on the list. The full list from PFF in a handy graphic form:
The Lions’ ranking is bolstered by high marks in active draft capital and available cap room, both current and projected through 2025. PFF’s article does a good job breaking down how those are tabulated and ranked.
All the high draft picks over the last few seasons, including four picks in the top 60 of the 2023 NFL draft, have given the Lions a nice boost in cost-controlled, high-end talent. That helps the active draft capital category. Disner especially deserves credit for the veteran cap situation. Per PFF:
Detroit still ranks in the top 10 in 2023-25 cap space and the bottom 10 in total prorated money, with not many major internal extensions pending, hoping to build a sustainable contender for years to come.
It’s a good place to be for Detroit, which was stymied by brutal salary cap issues a decade ago, when the team was progressing toward being a yearly playoff contender.
