One day after it was learned an arrest warrant is out for Cameron Sutton
, his Lions tenure has come to end. The veteran corner has been released, per a team announcement. ESPN’s Field Yates notes
this will come with a post-June 1 designation, creating $1.5MM in cap space beginning June 2.
A report from Wednesday detailed how a warrant for Sutton’s arrest has been in place for nearly two weeks. Police currently cannot locate the 29-year-old, who is facing a charge of a charge of domestic battery by strangulation. In advance of potential legal and NFL punishments, his Lions contract has now been terminated.
The former third-rounder is wanted in connection with an incident which took place in Lutz, Florida. Sutton is alleged to have been involved in a domestic incident with a woman, with evidence of wounds found on the victim’s body. He fled the scene at the time of the incident, and Yates’ colleague Eric Woodward reports Sutton has still yet to surrender himself to police.
The Lions signed Sutton to a three-year, $33MM contract last offseason. That deal called for $10.5MM in base salary in 2024, $9MM of which was guaranteed. NFL suspensions void guaranteed compensation, however, and while it is too early in this case to know if it will be relevant or not, convictions are not necessary for league bans to be imposed. Detroit could also attempt to recoup the outstanding $8.72MM of Sutton’s $10.9MM signing bonus which has not already been paid out on the cap.
The Lions made Sutton a central part of their efforts to add in the secondary in 2023, and the former Steeler was a full-time starter in his debut campaign with Detroit. The team once again prioritized CB moves with respect to free agency this offseason, and that resulted in the trade acquisition of Carlton Davis from the Buccaneers. Amik Robertson was also added on a two-year deal, and those arrivals will be joined by returnee Emmanuel Moseley in 2024.
With Sutton no longer in the picture, cornerback will be a position of focus for the Lions ahead of next month’s draft. For Sutton himself, meanwhile, today’s news puts his NFL future in jeopardy.