Pre-Free Agency Salary Cap Update for Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions will likely find themselves in a difficult situation when free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. ET March 10.

While general manager Martin Mayhew and club president Tom Lewand know the salary cap has been set at $143.7 million, they don't know what their options will be. That's the nature of negotiations with the supremely leveraged Ndamukong Suh.

But before we dig into Detroit's current salary-cap situation, let's look at how the Lions got here and what options are on the table.

The Walking Dead Money

The NFL salary cap is just like the real world—there are consequences for every action, and sometimes it takes years to pay the piper. Such is the case for the Lions.

Player	Dead Money	Post June 1 Designation
Ndamukong Suh	$9.738M	No
Chris Houston	$3.9M	Yes
Reggie Bush	$3.56M	No
Vaughn Martin	$65K	No
Nate Freese	$45K	No
Michael Williams	$33K	No
Jonte Green	$24K	No
11 Others	$5K or less	No

The Suh cap hit could really sting if he takes his talents elsewhere. And even if he stays, that $9.7 million is added to whatever cap hit his new contract calls for.

But is that worse than Chris Houston? He hasn't visited Allen Park since June 2014 but is still costing Detroit $3.9 million this year. And that's after swallowing $1.3 million of his guaranteed money in 2014.

Reggie Bush was the last large cost that sunk to the bottom of the league's deepest pool of dead money. At least the Lions are near the middle of the pack in cap space. They could presumably sign all the players needed to fill out a competitive roster without restructuring contracts or parting with any veterans.

"

The Detroit Lions have cut Running Back Reggie Bush. Will save the team $1.7 million in Salary Cap space. pic.twitter.com/demblwPYvX

— ABC12WJRT (@ABC12WJRT) February 25, 2015"

Quite a few teams can't make that statement. In fact, the Patriots, Saints and Chiefs have to cut players just to get below the cap.

Veterans Who Weren't Bitten by the Budget...Yet

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The first year of J.J. Watt's contract will cost the Texans $21.97 million against the cap. Suh's deal will likely be close to or exceed Watt's on a total cost and guaranteed money scale, and it remains to be seen how the Lions would navigate those waters. The better option might be to guarantee more money in order to push more of it toward the middle and back years of his deal.

Should Detroit instead opt to take its medicine early, Mayhew will either push Matthew Stafford's and Calvin Johnson's cap hits further down the road, or he will jettison some pricey veterans a la Bush.

Player	Cap Hit	Dead Money
Stephen Tulloch	$5.8M	$2.6
Jason Jones	$3.983M	$833K

This isn't an endorsement either way. Both Jason Jones and Stephen Tulloch are strong players in a scheme that amplifies their value, and Tulloch is a respected veteran whose leadership is obviously valued to keep him on board with a younger, cheaper option on the roster.

But you also can't ignore a combined $6.35 million in possible cap space. 

What's Left and What to Expect

That leaves Detroit with $18,343,192 in cap room, according to Over the Cap. The Lions are neither strong nor weak in this respect, but there isn't a ton of money to throw around at high-priced studs not named Suh.

If Detroit's best defender skips town, the Lions will need to bring in at least two veteran defensive tackles to start and/or fill in the rotation. The money they would save picking up lesser players—even if they are respectable defensive tackles (Jared Odrick, Kendall Langford)—will leave Detroit enough to look at the veteran guards available.

If the Lions retain Suh, and once they burn through the approximately $4.712 million needed to sign their draft picks (per Spotrac.com), there won't be much left to improve the roster. Detroit would have to consider extending Stafford's deal or restructuring Johnson's contract. Surely, the front office would get creative with Suh's contract to whatever extent possible, but the cost would muddy things from a cap perspective.

I understand if you think I'm being too Suh-centric. I'm not, and Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News found a certain general manager who agrees:

"

Lions GM Martin Mayhew says offseason plans revolve around Ndamukong Suh http://t.co/J3ZuD4rvJ7

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) February 19, 2015"

This is what happens when rookie players are given an incredible amount of unearned leverage and your team actually hits on three top-two picks. At least it's the last time the Lions will find themselves in this position.

All salary cap numbers are sourced from Over the Cap, unless otherwise noted.

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.