Lions Restructure St. Brown, Sewell Contracts to Create Cap Space

The Detroit Lions restructured the contracts of star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and left tackle Penei Sewell on Friday, creating significant salary cap space ahead of their 2026 season opener. The moves, reported by multiple outlets citing salary cap tracking websites, generated between $35.6 million and $38.2 million in additional cap room for the team. For St. Brown, the Lions converted $26 million of his base salary into a signing bonus, which reduced his 2026 cap hit by $20.8 million. Sewell's contract saw $18.6 million of his base salary converted into a signing bonus, lowering his 2026 cap hit by $14.88 million. The restructurings are a common NFL mechanism that allows teams to create immediate financial flexibility by spreading a player's salary over multiple future seasons. The additional cap space significantly improves the Lions' financial position. Detroit now holds the second-most cap room in the NFL for the 2026 season, trailing only the San Francisco 49ers. This flexibility gives the Lions options, including the potential to make a significant in-season acquisition before the November trade deadline or to roll over unused cap space into the 2027 offseason.