The Detroit Lions dismissed cornerback Cameron Sutton from his contract on Thursday, citing substantial legal issues, including an arrest warrant. The move removes a starter from the roster, but it also leaves a tricky salary cap situation—one that will not be handled soon.
To truly grasp the financial consequences of the Lions’ decision to release Sutton, you must first comprehend the fundamentals of NFL contracts, after which we will go into the specifics of the Lions’ alternatives.
A player’s contract contains a “base salary” that may include guarantees. Teams can provide players additional contractual benefits, such as bonuses. Some incentives include guarantees—the most frequent is a “signing bonus”—but the majority do not. Sometimes players have “voided” years added to their contracts (that extend beyond the term of the contract) to spread out certain cap impacts, such as a signing bonus.
If we look at Sutton’s remaining contract (below), we can see several key parts of his deal were still guaranteed (Note: a number highlighted in green indicates it is guaranteed).
Sutton’s contract was for $29.75 million, with $19.22 million guaranteed.
Guarantees are necessary for teams to demonstrate trust in a player, but there is a disadvantage to over-guaranteeing. The most significant disadvantage of guarantees is that if a team wishes to release a player, they must pay a cap penalty equal to the total value of all existing guarantees.
As a result of Sutton’s release, the Lions are currently obligated to pay $19.22 million in cap penalties. And, because all cap penalties are due whenever a player is released, the Lions will assume responsibility for that amount immediately.
Fortunately for the Lions, the league has a regulation in place to help teams manage big cap fines known as the June 1st designation. This rule allows teams to spread out the cap penalty across two seasons, allowing for salary cap relief. Unfortunately, this law requires teams to carry their cap penalty until June 1st, limiting their ability to spend money during free agency.
The Lions took advantage of the June 1st designation by releasing Sutton and spreading his cap penalty across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Here’s how cap penalties are distributed:
ESPN’s Field Yates said that the Lions will free up $1.5 million this season, but I don’t believe he included the $1.5 million that became guaranteed on March 16, which is why my calculations above indicate no cap relief.
On the surface, the Lions appear to have been substantially penalized as a result of Sutton’s actions, but the NFL and NFLPA have personal conduct guidelines in place that can help the Lions seek compensation.
Due to Sutton’s conduct, the Lions have requested that the NFL nullify his contract’s base wage. The NFL will now conduct an investigation into the Lions’ claim, and if they determine that Sutton has indeed
If the League rules fast, these adjustments could be implemented before the 2024 season.
For the time being, this is the most the Lions can accomplish under the NFL pay cap. They will take a cap hit during the following two seasons, most likely in the way described above.
However, the Lions are not out of legal alternatives for recouping all or a portion of the remaining $8.72 million signing bonus—which was already given to Sutton when he joined in 2023. Essentially, if Sutton is convicted of his alleged crime, the Lions may sue him for breach of contract. However, this procedure usually takes several years before it is completed.
