Detroit Lions general manager was blunt last week at the NFL owners meetings: the reason the Lions weren’t active during free agency was that they are already earmarking cap space to use for re-signing some of their best players—many of which are due for a huge raise from their rookie contracts.
“We had so many of these young players that have been on rookie deals and we’ve been enjoying the impact that they’ve all been bringing,” Holmes said. “But now, a bill is coming. What you spend this year is going to impact next year, even impacts 2027.