If you want to know how much a team values a player, it’s important to remember the old adage: follow the money. With the contract details for new Detroit Lions offensive tackle Larry Borom now available, we have a chance to explore what role the Lions may envision for him in 2026.
First, let’s take a look at the details of Borom’s one-year contract with the Lions, then we will explore what those numbers suggest.
Larry Borom: 1-year, $5 million, $4.9 million guaranteed
Base salary: $2.4 million (fully guaranteed)
Signing bonus: $2.5 million
Workout bonus: $100,000
2026 cap hit: $5 million
Overall, this is a fairly straightforward contract, with a value that ranks 49th among current NFL offensive tackles. This deal essentially puts him on par with what a tackle selected in the top half of the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft would likely make, and similarly matches the contracts of 2026 free agents Braxton Jones (Bears) and Trey Pipkins (Chargers).
Contract comparisons
Braxton Jones started 2025 at left tackle for the Bears but landed on season-ending injured reserve in Week 4. He was brought back by Chicago with the intent of allowing him to compete for a starting role in 2026, but it’s being reported that the Bears are actively looking to upgrade their offensive tackle talent. Jones cap hit for 2026 is $5 million (like Borom), but he has fewer guarantees (only $3 million).
Trey Pipkins was the Chargers’ OT3 in 2025, but injuries to starters Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt pushed him into the starting lineup. Despite Slater and Alt expecting to return to the starting lineup in 2026, the Chargers still re-signed Pipkins to a 2-year, $10 million contract with $4.6 in guarantees. That contract averages the same cap hit as Borom and Jones, and the Chargers plan to use him as OT3 and insurance against injuries.
Borom’s story isn’t all that different. After signing with the Dolphins in 2025 as their OT3, Borom was asked to step into a starting right tackle role early in the season, and he held the fort down for the next 10 weeks. Now in Detroit, his contract suggests that he is, at a minimum, expected to be the Lions’ OT3, and could very well be in competition for a starting role in training camp—potentially with a rookie not yet on the roster.
OL6: JUMBO package
In addition to Borom’s role as OT3/potential starter, there is also potential for Borom to act as the Lions’ sixth offensive lineman in JUMBO packages. Over the last three seasons, the Lions have deployed Dan Skipper in this role (he’s now retired and on the Lions coaching staff), and their usage has increased in each season; expanding from being used on 4.85% of offensive snaps in 2023, to 6.62% in 2024, and 7.53% in 2025.
Now, with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing in the mix, the Lions may consider expanding that role even further. Last season in Arizona, Petzing deployed JUMBO sets 13.22% of the time. Some of that heavy usage was due to injury, but it also points to the fact that Petzing has that range of playcalling in his bag of tricks.
Bottom line
Borom’s 1-year, $5 million contract is in line with a high-end OT3 who can be counted on to hold down a starting role, as well as expand their duties into other areas, such as a sixth offensive lineman in JUMBO sets.
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