Per Over The Cap, Lions OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai has agreed to a pay cut to stick in Detroit for the 2023 season.
Dave Birkett confirms and says Vaitai was initially scheduled to make a base salary of $9.4 million this season. That has been lowered to $3 million and Vaitai now counts $5 million against the cap. His deal voids after this season.
He missed the entire 2022 season with a back injury but if he’s healthy he’ll compete with G Graham Glasgow to start at right guard. Vaitai can also provide depth at tackle.
Vaitai, 29, was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round out of TCU in 2016. He signed a four-year deal worth $2.56 million and made a base salary of $720,000 for the 2019 season.
Vaitai was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in 2020 when he signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Lions.
In 2021, Vaitai appeared in 15 games and made 15 starts for the Lions. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 29 guard out of 82 qualifying players.
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