Breaking down Graham Glasgow’s contract details, cap hits

A detailed look at Graham Glasgow’s new three-year, $20 million contract with the Detroit Lions, including his cap hits and guaranteed money.

After a few days, we finally know the full contract details for Graham Glasgow, who is re-signing with the Detroit Lions on a three-year deal.

As originally reported, it’s a three-year deal worth $20 million. However, Glasgow’s deal comes with just $8 million guaranteed, including a $5.5 million signing bonus. With all of the remaining guarantees coming from the Year 1 and Year 2 salaries, this essentially functions as a two-year deal with an option for a third season—a very common tactic from this Lions front office.

Here are the full details of the deal, as reported by Over The Cap.

Graham Glasgow: three years, $20 million, $8 million guaranteed, $5.5 million signing bonus

2024:

• $1.5M base salary (fully guaranteed)
• $1.83M signing bonus proration
• $3.33M cap hit

2025:

• $5.5M base salary ($1M guaranteed)
• $1.83M signing bonus proration
• $500,000 roster bonus (due March 5)
• $7.83M cap hit
• $4.66M dead cap if cut ($3.17M in savings)

2026:

• $6.5M base salary
• $1.83M signing bonus proration
• $500,000 roster bonus (due March 5)
• $8.83M cap hit
• $1.83M dead cap if cut ($7M in savings)

In Year 1, Glasgow has $7 million in guarantees: his $5.5 million signing bonus and the entirety of his $1.5 million in salary. His cap hit of just $3.3M ranks 46th among all NFL guards—a serious bargain for a veteran starting guard.

His cap hit more than doubles in Year 2, thanks to a $4 million raise in salary. If Glasgow struggles in 2024 or the Lions are in a tight cap situation, they theoretically have an out in the contract that season. However, more than likely, Glasgow will see the second year of his contract and earn that significant raise.

In 2026—the final year of Glasgow’s deal—he’ll be 34. If he’s still playing at a high level, a $8.8 million cap hit will still be a bargain. In 2024 alone, there are 18 guards with a higher cap hit than that, and remember, Glasgow finished as a top-10 guard in PFF grade last year.

However, if Detroit wants to move on at that point, they can clear $7 million of that cap hit by releasing him. The only guaranteed money still on the books at that point is the third year of his signing bonus proration—a mere $1.83 million.

While this signing has yet to be confirmed by the team, they are expected to announce it when the league new year opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.