The Lions Defense is More Expensive Than the Eagles, Rams, 49ers, Packers and Bills
Lions fans say Detroit is cheap, but the numbers tell a very different story. Especially when you look at how much they’re actually spending on defense compared to other contenders.
Since the Detroit Lions finished off a 15-2 season and limped into the playoffs in 2024 as one of the most injured teams in history, and lost to the Washington Commanders, a lot of fans have felt that the only way to fix the problems was to ignore all the nuance and spend a ton of money on expensive players. Trade for stars. Sign the big names. Be more like the Eagles, Rams, 49ers, Packers, and Bills.
The thing you hear constantly is that Brad Holmes is cheap. Especially on defense. Well, here’s the thing about that argument.
According to Warren Sharp’s breakdown of the most expensive defenses in 2026, Detroit is spending more money on defense than all those teams fans want them to emulate. The Lions rank 14th in defensive spending at $140.2 million. The Eagles? Lower. The Rams? Lower. The 49ers, Packers, and Bills? All lower.
Where the disconnect comes from is that some Lions fans are so concerned with the team going out and getting high-priced elite players that they’re totally ignoring the high-priced elite players they already have on defense. They simply drafted them instead of signing or trading for them.
Where Detroit’s Defense Money is Going
Here’s how the Lions are spending their defensive dollars and where that ranks league-wide:
Interior Defensive line: 12th in the league at $41,112,487. Edge: 25th in the league at $20,237,359. Linebackers: 10th in the league at $21,714,812. Cornerbacks: 9th in the league at $35,836,036. Safeties: 21st in the league at $17,158,104.
The Lions are a Brian Branch extension away from having one of the league’s most expensive secondaries. They just need to figure out how to keep these guys healthy, and they could show what they can do out there.
Now let’s compare that to those other contenders fans keep pointing to. The Packers are paying big at edge, and the 49ers are paying Nick Bosa money. The Lions have most of their edge money going to Aidan Hutchinson and then have a second-round rookie to develop.
The interesting position is safety. At least until Branch gets paid, the Lions are getting tremendous value at the position for how deep and talented it is.
What this also shows is that the teams you think are going out and signing or trading for the big-name players just aren’t doing that as much as you think. The Rams being the exception here.
Look, I get it. Watching other teams make splashy moves while Holmes builds through the draft can feel frustrating when you’ve sat through decades of this franchise doing everything wrong. But the numbers don’t lie. Holmes isn’t being cheap on defense. He’s just being smart about where he spends.
Still think Brad Holmes is being too conservative with the checkbook, or are you ready to admit he knows what he’s doing? Drop your take below.
