Cameron Sutton’s suspension costs $537,777 in salary for 2024 (but it was much more expensive)

The Eight game suspension The fine imposed on Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton on Monday will void eight of his 18 game checks. With a base salary of $1.21 million, that means a loss of wages of $537,777 for 2024.

The costs for Sutton were much higher.

Immediately after the Lions learned he was wanted for a crime (at the time), they cut his guaranteed salary for 2024 and released him. That was $10.5 million lost forever.

If the Lions had not released Sutton, he would have lost $4.667 million in salary. The Lions also could have gotten back part of his $10.9 million signing bonus in 2023.

The Lions, however, did not hesitate to trade Sutton. The Steelers ultimately had no qualms about bringing him back. However, the fact that the NFL ultimately suspended Sutton for nearly half the season underscores that, in the league’s view, Sutton deserved to miss eight games without pay for his misconduct.