What Can Detroit Lions Do to Clear More Salary Cap Space for 2015 Offseason?

The fans and media can linger on the disappointment in Dallas, but the Detroit Lions as an organization have no choice but to move on. There's nothing that can be done about the loss. There's only the hope that 2015 will bring greater success.

Before the Lions can start deciding whether to re-sign their own big names, hand out lucrative extensions or start targeting free agents, the salary cap needs to be addressed. Detroit currently has around $19 million to work with based on a salary-cap projection of $138 million, per Spotrac.com.

A rather large thorn in Detroit's side is Ndamukong Suh's contract. Even if he isn't brought back, the Lions will carry a cap number of $9.7 million in dead money for Suh. And that's before addressing the other five starters who are set to be free agents. 

For clarification purposes, "dead money" is the cap hit a team would assume if it cut or released a player. Check out Tyler Raborn's solid explanation here.

Detroit doesn't have a lot of salary-cap room right now. Every franchise gets inventive this time of year to create more space, and the Lions will be no different considering the hefty contracts of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. So let's take a peek at how the Lions can wade out from no-man's land to a position of better financial flexibility.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Manipulating the Mega-Contracts

The Lions have played a dangerous game of kick the can for years, meaning they've often pushed off salary-cap obligations further down the road in exchange for immediate monetary freedom. They're not alone in this approach. In fact, the Dallas Cowboys did the exact same thing with their quarterback just 10 months ago.

For Detroit, there are two options for this approach—quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

The NFL allows teams to convert base salary into a signing bonus. That signing bonus is paid immediately and the franchise then spreads that money over the length of the contract (up to five years).

Player	2015 Base Salary	2015 Cap Hit	2015 Dead Money	2016 Base Salary	2016 Cap Hit	2016 Dead Money
Matthew Stafford	$9.5M	$17.7M	$27.2M	$17M	$22.5M	$11M
Calvin Johnson	$12.5M	$20.6M	$21M	$16M	$24M	$12.9M

In this instance, Stafford's $9.5 million base salary could be converted to a bonus and spread out over the remaining three years of his contract. Or Detroit could extend his contract further if the front office is so inclined.

The same can be done for Calvin Johnson and his $12.5 million base salary. However, his cap hits the next two years ($24 and $12.4 million) would be untenable. It's hard to see general manager Martin Mayhew creating bigger cap hits for the aging receiver unless he believes the salary cap is going to skyrocket.

There aren't a lot of places to make up a large amount of room. If the front office feels that the future is now for the core of this team and wants to make an all-in move, here are two options for mortgaging the future.

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Bye-Bye Broyles and Bush?

The first two players mentioned won't be kicked to the curb anytime soon. They may be joined by one of the two in this section, but it's possible it won't be the player fans would prefer.

Ryan Broyles has been a crowd favorite since he was plucked in the second round of the 2012 draft. The NCAA's one-time career leader in receptions has been healthy this year for the first time since his arrival, but he wasn't able to crack the active roster often since he was a backup to Golden Tate.

If the coaching staff doesn't have designs on using him, it can save $891,954 by letting him find employment elsewhere. And I wouldn't be surprised if he even asked for a release considering his tweets, including the one embedded here, directly after he received such little playing time despite Johnson missing the first Minnesota game with an ankle injury;

"

It's tough to keep a smile on your face when you feel like u are being held back but remember you are where u are for a reason!

— Ryan Broyles (@RyanBroyles) October 12, 2014"

As upset as fans would be to see Broyles given up so easily, their anger will be soothed if Reggie Bush is shown the door. His cap hit of $5.28 million versus $2 million of dead money combined with his dramatically declining production (962 fewer yards than in 2013) probably puts Bush in line for the chopping block if he isn't willing to take a pay cut.

No Sympathy for Stephen

The NFL is a cold business. The players wear pink in October and put out the vibe of caring in the community though charity work and commercials, but none of that carries over to the field. If you don't produce, you're gone.

Or, as could be the case for Stephen Tulloch, if you suffer an unfortunate injury and a younger, cheaper player steps up to the plate, you're expendable.

Tahir Whitehead's respectable job keeping Detroit atop the rushing-defense rankings will probably make this move a priority. By cutting Tulloch this offseason, Detroit would free up $3.2 million in 2015. And if not now, Tulloch surely won't survive next year when his cap hit rises to $7.3 million while his dead money drops to just $1.3 million.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

DeAndre Levy won't be receiving the same treatment (at least anytime soon). In fact, he's more likely receive a lucrative extension in exchange for reducing his $4.5 million cap hit this season. That's how the NFL works.

The Lions have a few priorities to address this offseason and little money available. It's unlikely that they can bring back all of their impending free agents. But if they want to bring back the boys for another run, the above will help them free up the cash to do so.

All salary-cap numbers are sourced from Spotrac.com. 

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.