The Lions addressed the hole in the middle of the defensive line with one of the biggest free agents on the market in D.J. Reader. It turns out they filled the hole with less expense than expected.
Over The Cap has the contract figures for Reader and what the 30-year-old nose tackle signed for in Detroit. Although many originally reported it as two years and $27 million, in fact, it’s just $22 million for those two seasons.
It breaks down pretty favorably for the Lions:
$6.215 million signing bonus
2024 base salary of just $1.21 million, which is fully guaranteed
2025 base salary: $6.29 million
Total of $7.465 million guaranteed at signing
Three void years, which amortizes the signing bonus over five years at $1.243 million per year
There is a $5.303 million cap hit for 2024 that escalates to $12.243 for a cap figure in 2024.
