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Myles Garrett is officially off the board after signing a massive record breaking extension in Cleveland, but what does this mean for Detroit? Obviously, it was never really that likely the Lions would make the move for Myles, but what does this mean for the pass rusher market as a whole?

There are some pretty good pass rushers out there, whether available via trade or free agency, but the Myles Garrett deal may have shaken the market up as a whole. Garrett got a 4-year deal worth $160 million, with $123.5 million guaranteed, averaging over $40 million per year, making him the highest paid non-Quarterback in NFL history. Safe to say, money talks, and Garrett may have said a lot, but the money won this time around. I expect this deal to affect other positions too, not just pass rushers, as the new ‘thing’ is being the highest paid non-Quarterback. Jamarr Chase and the Bengals are currently figuring that out.

But the real question is; what does this mean for free agent pass rushers?

As we all know, the cap is rising, and that means bigger contracts all around. What may have been a $5 million deal 5 years ago, is now worth $8-$10 million, and so on. We will see players get “overpaid” by a few million at least, simply due to the cap rising. Now, pass rushers obviously will be the main beneficiaries of the Garrett deal, I expect them to ask for a couple million extra, which could affect teams ability to sign them. For example, Khalil Mack is highly regarded as the best pass rusher on the open market, and he was looked at to get between $20 to $23 million per year, now that number is likely $25 million or more. Trey Hendrickson is another one, he was likely going to get between $28 to $32 million, now that number goes up to $30 to $35 million. It won’t just be the top tier guys affected either, as depth players will do the same. For example, a guy you could’ve gotten for 1-year $8 million last off-season, will be 1 year $10-$12 million, and players may leverage this to get an extra year, or more bonus money, so their contract doesn’t effect the cap as much.

The Lions will be effected doubly, as they look to extend Aidan Hutchinson, who will likely ask for $35 million per year minimum. I personally don’t think he will ask for more money than Garrett, but likely will ask for more than Crosby. I would expect something at around $36 to $38 million per year, which I know sounds crazy. But you have to keep in mind the cap rises every year, and what would’ve been a crazy deal 5 years ago, is run-of-the-mill today. A wide receiver getting $20 million per year 10 years ago was unheard of, now we are seeing them get $40 million or more, it’s just the cost of doing business. On top of that, the Lions are looking to add some help for Aidan, whether it be via trade, free agency, or the draft. As I said before, contracts will be going up as a whole, and that may affect the Lions ability to sign new players, or extend their own. The Lions just released Za’Darius Smith to save costs, but he could be brought back at a cheaper rate. Plus, Detroit has a lot of extensions coming up, and have already handed out quite a lot of money to their homegrown guys. I personally don’t expect them to make a ‘splash’ trade, like a Trey Hendrickson, but I could certainly see them being relatively aggressive when going after free agents, with guys like Landry, Mack, Sweat and more available. It would make the most sense for them to sign someone, rather than trade for someone and have to pay them. Brad Holmes has some tough decisions to make this off-season, as he tries to get the Lions to their first ever Super Bowl.

Stay tuned as we will be releasing an article on prospective pass rushers for the Lions very soon.

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