The eight-game suspension imposed Monday on Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton wipes out eight of his eighteen game checks. With a base salary of $1.21 million, that translates to $537,777 in lost wages for 2024.
The cost to Sutton was much more than that.
Immediately after the Lions became aware that he was wanted on (at the time) felony charges, they voided his guaranteed salary for 2024 and released him. That was $10.5 million, gone for good.
If the Lions hadn’t cut Sutton, he would have lost $4.667 million in salary. The Lions also would have been able to recover a portion of his $10.9 million signing bonus from 2023.
The Lions, however, didn’t hesitate to move on from Sutton. The Steelers ultimately had no qualms about bringing him back. The fact, however, that the NFL ultimately suspended Sutton for nearly half of the season underscores that, in the league’s opinion, Sutton deserved to miss eight games without pay for his misconduct.
The NFL announced on Monday that Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton has been suspended without pay for the first eight games of the 2024 season.
The league noted in its announcement that Sutton violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy in March.
Sutton, 29, was released by the Lions that month — a day after the club learned a warrant was issued for his arrest in Florida for one count of domestic battery by strangulation.
The Steelers, who selected Sutton in the third round of the 2017 draft, re-signed the cornerback in early June.
Sutton spent his first six seasons with Pittsburgh before playing with Detroit last year.
In 101 career games, Sutton has recorded 44 passes defensed with nine interceptions.
Sutton will be eligible to be reinstated on Oct. 29 after the Steelers play the Giants in Week 8.
The Lions hope to take the next step after losing in the NFC Championship Game last season and part of the plan to do that involved changes to the cornerback group.
Cameron Sutton and Jerry Jacobs played the most snaps at corner last season, but both players are gone from this year’s roster. The Lions traded for Carlton Davis and signed Amik Robertson as a free agent before drafting Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw in the first and second rounds in April. They also have Emmanuel Moseley, who is coming off a torn ACL that limited him to two snaps last season, back along with Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey and nickel back Brian Branch.
Davis and Arnold were the top two outside corners in the spring, but General Manager Brad Holmes promises a spirited competition for snaps is coming this summer.
“Yeah, it’s a bloodbath in there now. It is, and that’s what makes everything better,” Holmes said, via the team’s website. “It makes the room better, it makes the defense better, it makes the team better. Competition just brings the best out of everybody.”
The names at the top of the depth chart may not change before the start of the season, but the Lions defense will be better if Holmes is right about the impact that fighting for jobs will have on all involved.
For much of their franchise’s history, the Lions have been laughingstocks. Now they’re viewed as one of the best teams in the NFL. And Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson says that’s the correct way to view them.
Hutchinson, who grew up in the Detroit area and played his college football at Michigan, says it’s a new experience to be part of a Lions team with high expectations.
“It’s unreal. There’s a lot of hype coming into this year, but I think it’s well-deserved hype,” Hutchinson told ESPN. “I think a lot more guys on our team understand what this year is, and we understand what we got and we’re all ready.”
Two years after the Lions took him with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, Hutchinson says he’s committed to being the kind of player who continues to play at a high level.
“I feel like the biggest thing is consistency. So, I feel like it’s consistency with working out, with diet, with nutrition, with everything,” Hutchinson said. “I feel like that just continues to stack up every year, along with your knowledge of the game. As those things are rising, you just continue to level up as a player, so all around.”
Hutchinson may be part of a group of players who make the Lions consistent winners, proving that they deserve the hype.
After last year’s successful debut of Quarterback on Netflix, the producers couldn’t find enough quarterbacks for season two. So they moved to a new position.
And in compiling the roster for Receiver, a highly popular pass-catching tight end had a chance to join the fray.
Appearing on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, Travis Kelce said he declined the invitation to be one of the subjects of the show.
“After [Patrick Mahomes] did it, I did get asked about it,” Kelce said, via USA Today. “I’d rather just play ball, man; I’m already doing enough with the podcast and everything. I’m way over the reality shit, dude. I’m out on that shit.”
The subjects of Receiver are Justin Jefferson of the Vikings, Davante Adams of the Raiders, Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Lions, and Deebo Samuel and George Kittle of the 49ers. If Kelce had done it, there’s a good chance (given everything that happened last year), that he would have become Bruce Springsteen and the rest of the bunch would have been the E Street Band. Or maybe it would have been all about Kelce and only Kelce.
The show debuts, without Travis Kelce, on July 12.
The Lions will enter the 2024 season with higher expectations than they’ve carried in some time and that’s not a problem for defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
Hutchinson’s arrival in 2022 coincided with a leap in wins and his strong second season helped fuel last year’s run to the NFC Championship Game. He’s not downplaying his feeling that the team can accomplish even more once they take the field later this year.
“I feel like it’s the year,” Hutchinson said, via Brad Galli of WXYZ. “With every fiber of my body, I feel like it’s the year. Honestly, from this year on, every year is the year. With the guys that we have, I hope that we’re going to sustain the success for a long time.”
The Lions appear to share Hutchinson’s view of the future after signing quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and tackle Penei Sewell to extensions this offseason. Hutchinson will be up for a new deal of his own soon enough and another winning season will continue to have the Lions feeling good about keeping the band together.
The Lions will host several opportunities for fans to see the club practice later this summer.
Detroit announced on Tuesday that the club will have six open training camp practices, with another three sessions exclusively for Lions Loyal members.
The first practice for Lions Loyal members is set for Saturday, July 27 and the first session open to the public is on Monday, July 29.
While training camp practices are free to attend, fans will need to register for a ticket on the Lions’ website. Registration is limited to four tickets per person. Sign-ups will begin on July 16.
Members of the Lions Loyal program will receive separate information on how to claim their training camp tickets starting on July 9.
As a rookie last season, Lions cornerback Brian Branch made an immediate impact as a nickel cornerback. He started nine of the 15 games he played in, and was on the field for about three-quarters of the Lions’ defensive snaps. But this year, the Lions want more.
Lions defensive assistant Jim O’Neil says Branch can get more playing time, and if he’s healthy could be on the field for close to 100 percent of snaps.
“Last year they were a little more hesitant with BB to just kind of fix him at one spot. Now that he’s going into Year 2, I think we’ll be more aggressive with him,” O’Neil said, via the team’s website. He’s the type of player you want to see out there on all three downs, so we’re going to push him to that. At the end of the day, he still has to come out in training camp, and he has to take that job.”
Training camp will be a big opportunity for Branch to prove he belongs as one of the 11 Lions who’s on the field every defensive snap.
“In the role he had last year I thought he played really well as a rookie,” O’Neil said. “Now it’s, can he make the next jump as a second-year player and can he make the next jump maybe just being fixed as a safety or maybe being a safety and a nickel? That’s all things we’re going to figure out in training camp.”
After one of the best seasons in franchise history last year, the Lions believe they have a young nucleus of players who can sustain that success for years to come. They expect Branch to be a big part of it.
Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders announced Friday that he experienced a health scare last weekend. He did not provide details beyond that it was heart-related.
Sanders, who turns 56 next month, made an appearance at the NFL draft in Detroit in April.
“Over Father’s Day weekend, I experienced a health scare related to my heart,” Sanders wrote on his social media. “It was unexpected and served as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant about our physical well-being, even when we are feeling fine.
“I am grateful for the amazing doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals for providing me with needed care. My family and I are thankful for your prayers and support during this time.
“Per my doctors’ recommendation, I am taking his opportunity to prioritize my health and well-being. I appreciate your understanding and continued support.”
The Lions’ official X account responded by sending get-well wishes to Sanders, who rushed for 15,269 yards in 10 seasons with them.
Green Bay’s kicking competition is back up to three entrants.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, the Packers have claimed James Turner off of waivers after he was cut by the Lions.
Turner, 23, just entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan. He spent just one season with the Wolverines, previously kicking for Louisville from 2019-2022.
Turner connected on 18-of-21 field goal attempts in 2023 and also set a single-season Michigan program record with 65 successful PATs.
The Packers previously waived kicker Jack Podlesny on Wednesday.
Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph are also on Green Bay’s roster at kicker.