Mike Daniels is reportedly getting a hefty chunk of change, $9.1 million with $7.8 million fully guaranteed, to sign with the Detroit Lions, but they have plenty of salary cap room to afford this transaction.
According to Over The Cap, the Lions had a tick over $23.3 million in salary cap space available before agreeing to a contract with Daniels, good for 10th most in the NFL.
With the numbers being reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, quick math tells us the Lions cap number will be reduced down to $14.2 million.
That amount is still good for 18th in the league and leaves plenty of space for in-season roster moves — general manager Bob Quinn typically prefers to keep between $7-8 million in available funds.
Damon Harrison and Darius Slay are likely looking on here and wondering if any of that money will be coming their way anytime soon, or if they will have to wait. These moves/extensions could, in theory, still get done with the salary cap room available and there is always the option to create funds in other ways.
Bottom line: the Lions are paying Daniels a lot of money to play in Honolulu Blue in 2019, but they also still have plenty of options moving forward.
