ALLEN PARK – Defensive tackle Nick Williams signed a two-year contract worth up to $ 10 million with the Detroit Lions last season. His mission was clear.
“I want to bring good football to Detroit’s defensive line,” he said.
Like so many other things about the Quinntricia era, it didn’t. Williams had 23 tackles and only one sack in 538 snaps, while the defensive line proved to be among the worst in football once again. The race inland – where Williams was supposed to inject some life after a six-bag season in Chicago – was especially problematic. And with an expected cap of $ 5.7 million in 2021, he was among the seven players most likely to become a victim of the cap in this off-season, as Detroit struggles to find a way to meet the ever-decreasing salary cap.
Now, six of those players are gone, but the new regime liked Williams enough to offer him a pay cut to stay in Detroit. Williams agreed, reducing his base salary from $ 4.1 million to $ 1.25 million in 2021. In return, Williams will receive $ 500,000 in new guarantees and is eligible for up to $ 250,000 in bonuses per game.
The limit reached by Williams will now be $ 3.0 million, a savings of about $ 2.7 million.