With so many extension-eligible candidates entering the fold for the Detroit Lions’ front office, the team has to be thinking about its finances a lot headed into 2026. They’re currently strapped for any cap space, looking at negative $16 million available in cap space for 2026.

Of course, that won’t remain the case as free agency begins. The team will likely work out some restructuring deals with some of their higher earners on the roster, and there’s the possibility of some trades and cuts freeing up even more money for them. Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggested three specific pre-June 1 cuts that would give the Lions some wiggle room – but not much.

Ballentine names David Montgomery, Taylor Decker, and Graham Glasgow as clear cut candidates, for varying reasons.

Bleacher Report offers up clear cut candidates for Lions to consider

Decker is obvious: he might be retiring this offseason, but for the Lions to get the most “bang for their buck,” so to speak, ahead of any retirement announcement, they could cut him before June 1:

“Sports Info Solutions charged Decker with a career-high 40 “blown blocks” over the course of his 14-game season. That’s why he could have taken his last snap with the Lions whether he retires or not. There would be a market for a tackle with his experience, but the Lions can save a considerable amount of cap space by parting ways this offseason.”

As for Glasgow, cutting him can save an additional $5.6 million on top of the $11.6 million saved from cutting Decker. Glasgow had a down year with Detroit in 2026, mostly thanks to the team having him compete for, and win, the starting center job when he’s really a guard. That really sunk his stock, and it’s obvious that the team has to invest in an actual center this offseason, and not a stopgap one.

Montgomery is the most interesting choice to add here. He could probably net the Lions a decent deal on the trade market if they’re really fine with letting him go this offseason, given his fairly team-friendly contract. He’s a free agent in 2028, and still has plenty of gas in his tank as a downhill runner. Ballentine has him getting cut, though, for cap savings of $3.5 million.

These cuts all add up to $20.7 million added back to the pot, for a total of $4 million in cap room generated. That’s obviously just not going to cut it for the Lions, especially when they’ll be signing some draft picks this summer. This is a good start, considering what we know about all three players’ position on the roster from when the 2025 season wrapped.

But, Detroit’s going to have a lot of other tough decisions to make in order to remain competitive on the market in 2026.