Lions restructure Jared Goff's contract, free up $32 million in cap space

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The Lions have given themselves significant 2026 salary cap space by restructuring quarterback Jared Goff's contract. By converting $40 million of his 2026 base salary into a signing bonus and adding a void year, Detroit added $32 million in cap space for this season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Goff's total pay for 2026 will be unchanged, but now less of that pay will count toward this year's cap and more of that pay will count toward future years' salary caps. Officially, the Lions were tight against the salary cap heading into today's 4 p.m. deadline for every team to be under. But it was never really a concern because they always had restructuring Goff's contract as an option. The Lions have multiple other highly paid players whose contracts could be similarly restructured if they decide to clear more cap space for this year. After a disappointing 2025 season, the Lions think they can get back into contention in 2026. They'll have the cap space to add major veteran contributors toward that goal, if they choose to do so.