The Detroit Lions are in an interesting position in the 2026 NFL offseason, with their suboptimal salary cap situation forcing them to make crucial roster decisions in the coming weeks. The team’s financial placement puts general manager Brad Holmes in a bind as free agency quickly approaches.
The Lions began the offseason $9 million in the hole, per Over the Cap, the fifth-worst cap situation in the league. Detroit finds itself in that position after giving Jared Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker lucrative extensions in the last two years.
The moves allowed Detroit to continue building on its rock-solid foundation as it neared Super Bowl contention. They also leave Holmes without many options in the 2026 NFL offseason.
While Holmes found the moves necessary to keep his roster intact after back-to-back stellar seasons, the Lions are coming off a regressive 2025 season. They began the year as NFC title favorites but went just 9-8 and missed the playoffs in year five under Dan Campbell.
The season was not a complete disaster, and many of the Lions’ key pieces are still young enough to get right back to the well in 2026. Fans still expect some changes after going from the No. 1 seed in the conference to third in the NFC North just one year later.
The Lions need to create cap space to give themselves any sort of flexibility in the 2026 offseason. Luckily, a few teams in similar positions showed them just how to do that.
Restructure Jared Goff’s contract
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The Kansas City Chiefs just showed the Lions how to clear cap space without releasing anyone when they restructured Patrick Mahomes’ contract for the third consecutive offseason. Holmes has to follow up on that by doing the same with Goff.
The 31-year-old Goff is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, giving credence to the four-year, $212 million extension the Lions gave him in 2024. Two years later, Goff has been worth every penny, but Detroit needs some of that money back.
If the Lions follow a similar restructuring model as the Chiefs, they can save roughly $40 million in cap space, according to Yahoo Sports. That move would be functionally the same as the one the Chiefs just made with Mahomes.
With so many high-priced contracts on their roster, the Lions could restructure multiple deals in the 2026 offseason, but it must start with Goff.
Release C Graham Glasgow
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The Lions had a lot of reasons to welcome Graham Glasgow back to their franchise in 2023, but it is time to say goodbye again. As valuable as Glasgow’s versatility has been for Detroit, his production does not outweigh the money Detroit could save by cutting him loose.
The Lions would save $7 million by releasing Glasgow after June 1, according to Over the Cap. That is the second-most the team can gain by cutting a single player.
Glasgow has been a mainstay of the Lions’ sturdy offensive line for years, but he struggled with the team moving him to center in 2025 following Frank Ragnow’s sudden retirement. The 33-year-old was a center in college before spending the majority of his early career at guard.
Glasgow started the first 15 games of the season, but he did not do enough to appease the coaching staff, who benched him late in the regular season. Although he returned in Week 18, Glasgow does not appear to be part of the team’s plan.
As the oldest member of the Lions’ veteran offensive line, Glasgow is up for a potential retirement in the 2026 offseason. His doing so would make decisions easier for Holmes, who needs to part with Glasgow either way.
Trade or release RB David Montgomery
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Detroit would have a difficult time parting with David Montgomery, who has become a fan-favorite running back in just three years with the team. Doing so would break up the beloved ‘Sonic and Knuckles’ tandem with Jahmy Gibbs.
But if the Lions can move Montgomery, they would shed the final leg of his two-year, $18.5 million deal. Trading the 28-year-old for draft capital would be the best-case scenario. Detroit currently has just eight picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, five of which come on Day Three.
The Lions can also cut Montgomery, which would save $6 million in cap space with a post-June 1 designation.
As much as the team loves Montgomery, who has thrived in a complementary role, his window is quickly shutting. He has already fallen into a pure backup role behind Gibbs, instead of the 1A-1B split they used to have, and that gap is only going to grow each year.
Montgomery has made as big an impact as he could in three years, but the Lions need to strike while the iron is still hot. Montgomery’s gritty work between the tackles can still help any team in the league and give Holmes another Day Two pick to work with. If not, Detroit needs to consider letting him hit the open market.
Release RT Taylor Decker if he doesn’t retire
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At 31, Taylor Decker still has productive years in front of him if he wants to keep playing. However, he has openly hinted at retirement as much as any player in the league, suggesting his days are limited.
Decker retiring would be a huge relief for the Lions’ salary cap, as it would remove his $21 million cap hit in 2026. Releasing him would still save $17 million, per Over the Cap, the most they can save by cutting a single player.
The Lions can also work out a potential trade for the 2024 Pro Bowler. Decker has slowed down at the tail end of his career, but his 67.9 player grade on Pro Football Focus was still comfortably above the league average.
Releasing Decker, who has spent his entire 10-year career in the Motor City, would be bittersweet, but it is one of the quickest ways the Lions can create cap space in the 2026 offseason. If he cannot work out enough renegotiations, Holmes might have to part ways with his longest-tenured player.
The Lions began preparing for a changing of the guard up front last offseason, selecting Tate Ratlege and Miles Frazier in the 2025 NFL Draft. Detroit could use one of its early picks in 2026 to select Decker’s replacement and a long-term pairing for star left tackle Penei Sewell.
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