The Detroit Lions have received a significant amount of salary cap relief before the start of free agency Tuesday, as defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Nate Burleson have all agreed to restructure their respective contracts.
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The Lions' official website reported the restructured contracts of Stafford and Burleson give the team an extra $10 million in salary cap space for the 2012 season.
Suh has restructured the final three years of his contract, his agent told Fox Sports Detroit on Monday. His agent, Rosey Barnes, said that no new years were added to Suh's deal, which called for the defensive tackle to make $10.8 million in base salary in 2012.
Stafford had a cap number of more than $17 million, but along with Burleson, restructured his contract for the second time in as many years. By converting his $11.5-million base salary to minimum, more than $7 million in cap room was created, according to the team.
Stafford took to Twitter following the announcement of his restructured deal.
"Thanks for all the support from lions fans! We have some great teammates in the D... #golions2012" Stafford wrote.
Burleson was due to make $4 million in base salary this season, according to the team, but has converted a bulk of that into a bonus and will make $875,000 in base salary after the restructured deal. The rest will be paid in bonuses.
