When the Detroit Lions acquired cornerback Carlton Davis in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they also acquired his hefty $14 million salary and $14.35 million cap hit. That figure immediately hit the Lions’ salary cap once the new league year hit and the trade was official, leading many to believe the Lions would extend or restructure the contract to give the Lions some more breathing room.
The Lions reportedly chose the latter of the options, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap reported. The Lions converted $6 million of that salary into a signing bonus—paid out immediately to Davis.