On Thursday, the Detroit Lions released corner Cameron Sutton from his contract with the team, amidst his serious legal trouble including a warrant for his arrest. The move removes a starter from the roster but also leaves behind a complicated situation on the salary cap—and one that won’t be immediately resolved.
To fully understand the financial impact of the Lions releasing Sutton from the roster, you need to know a few basics about how NFL contracts work, then we’ll dive into the details of the Lions’ options.
A player’s contract has a “base salary”, which has the potential to have guarantees built into it.