While many of us simply react to the initial numbers of free agent contracts—which typically only convey the average salary per year—it’s really the less-interesting details of the contract that matter. Guarantees, cap hits and dead money are all decided by how the contracts are structures beyond salary, and that is what will ultimately dictate how an NFL team manages their cap room.
As some of these new deals become official on Wednesday when the league turns over a new year, details of the previously-agreed-upon contracts are starting to emerge for the Detroit Lions.
Let’s take a look at them, and see what we can truly expect from both the players and the entirety of their deals.