The NFL announced last week that the 2021 salary cap will be, at the very least, $180 million, giving teams a general idea of where they need to be at financially. For the Detroit Lions, it likely means they have some work to do before free agency starts. Including the $12.8 million in cap space the Detroit Lions will be carrying over from 2020 and the cap ramifications once the Matthew Stafford trade becomes official, the Lions will have around $199 million invested in their roster.
In other words, the Lions need to find nearly $20 million in cap savings just to break even before the new league year begins on March 17.