Detroit Lions Edge In 2024, John Cominsky is eligible for a substantial pay increase. Might Detroit decide to fire him or ask him to take a wage cut as a result of that?
Veteran safety Tracy Walker left the Detroit Lions on Tuesday. With his high appreciation among the team’s supporters, it was difficult to see him go. However, it was an easy choice to make from a business perspective. Walker was scheduled to cost more than $12 million against the cap; however, he ended the previous season as a healthy inactive during the postseason, allowing Detroit to release him and free up $5.5 million in cap space. Although it may sound harsh, Walker’s firing was inevitable as soon as the season concluded.
When it comes to defensive end John Cominsky’s future, the Lions have a far tougher choice to make. Like Walker, Cominsky has a bloated cap hit going until 2024. Cominsky signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract last year, although his first year’s cap charge was only $2.3 million. That means that in 2024, he will cost $6.3 million over the cap, of which just $1.7 million is guaranteed. To put it briefly, Detroit will have an additional $4.6 million in cap space if they choose to part ways with him.
Compared to the cap, is Cominsky worth $6.3 million? Answering that question is difficult. With his cap hit, Cominsky is ranked 36th among edge defenders and 31st among interior defenders by Over The Cap. In terms of cap hits in 2024, Deatrich Wise, Tyus Bowser, Jarran Reed, and Shy Tuttle are comparable players. Thus, he isn’t exactly draining their bank account.
In contrast to other Lions players, Cominsky has the ninth-highest cap hit on the team; the only players who are higher than him are David Montgomery, Jared Goff, Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Cameron Sutton, Aidan Hutchinson, Penei Sewell, and Alex Anzalone. Cominsky, who completed the season behind Josh Paschal, a 2022 second-round pick, in the team’s defensive line rotation, is not as important to the squad as any of those players are.
