Age: 27
Free Agency: 2029 (Void)
Accrued Seasons: 4
- Height: 6'5"
- Weight: 311
- College: Tennessee
- Entry: 2022 Draft, Round 6, #199 overall (Panthers)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $2,771,000 (0.86% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $8,000,000 (2.32% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 2.89
- Contract Value: $25,000,000 ($8,333,333 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $14,000,000
- Contract Ranking: 10/81 at C
Current Contract
(UFA, signed 2026)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signing | Option | |||||||||||||
| 2026 | 27 | $1,215,000 | $1,296,000 | $0 | $255,000 | $50,000 | $1,520,000 | $2,771,000 | 0.9% | |||||
| 2027 | 28 | $7,695,000 | $1,296,000 | $0 | $255,000 | $50,000 | $6,000,000 | $9,296,000 | 2.8% | |||||
| 2028
September 1: Option due by 1st regular season game
| 29 | $1,305,000 | $1,296,000 | $1,478,000 | $255,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $4,384,000 | 1.2% | |||||
| 2029
February 10: Contract voids on the 5th day waiver period
| 30 | Void | $1,296,000 | $1,478,000 | Void | Void | Void | $8,504,000 | -- | |||||
| 2030 | 31 | Void | $1,296,000 | $1,478,000 | Void | Void | Void | $0 | -- | |||||
| 2031 | 32 | Void | $0 | $1,478,000 | Void | Void | Void | $0 | -- | |||||
| 2032 | 33 | Void | $0 | $1,478,000 | Void | Void | Void | $0 | -- | |||||
| Total | $10,215,000 | $6,480,000 | $7,390,000 | $765,000 | $150,000 | $7,520,000 | $24,955,000 | |||||||
Contract Notes
Cade Mays signed a three year, $25 million contract with the Lions. $14 million is fully guaranteed at signing including a $6.48 million signing bonus. His 2026 salary is guaranteed and $6 million of his 2027 salary is also guaranteed.
Cash Flows
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| Running Cash | $8,000,000 | $16,000,000 | $25,000,000 |
Career Earnings: $12,395,457
Career APY: $3,098,864
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Drafted | Terminated | 2022 | 4 | $3,833,068 | $958,267 | $173,068 | $1,748,068 | 45.6% | $874,034 |
| Giants | Practice | Terminated | 2024 | 1 | $225,000 | $225,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 |
| Panthers | SFA | Expired | 2024 | 1 | $985,000 | $985,000 | $0 | $711,389 | 72.2% | $711,389 |
| Panthers | RFA | Expired | 2025 | 1 | $3,406,000 | $3,406,000 | $0 | $3,406,000 | 100.0% | $3,406,000 |
| Lions | UFA | Active | 2026 | 3 | $25,000,000 | $8,333,333 | $14,000,000 | $6,480,000 | 25.9% | $0 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 4 | $5,865,457 | $1,466,364 | $5,778,923 | 0.0% | $86,534 | 0.0% |
| Giants | 0 | $50,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $50,000 | 0.0% |
| Lions | 0 | $6,480,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Option Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Panthers | $705,000 | $43,267 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $748,267 | 0.4% | $878,068 | ||
| 2023 | Panthers | $870,000 | $43,267 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $913,267 | 0.4% | $870,000 | ||
| 2024 | Panthers | $985,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $711,389 | 0.3% | $711,389 | ||
| 2025 | Panthers | $3,406,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $3,406,000 | 1.2% | $3,406,000 | ||
| 2026 | Lions | $1,215,000 | $1,296,000 | $0 | $255,000 | $50,000 | $1,520,000 | $2,771,000 | 0.9% | $8,000,000 | ||
| 2027 | Lions | $7,695,000 | $1,296,000 | $0 | $255,000 | $50,000 | $6,000,000 | $9,296,000 | 2.8% | $8,000,000 | ||
| 2028 | Lions | $1,305,000 | $1,296,000 | $1,478,000 | $255,000 | $50,000 | $0 | $4,384,000 | 1.2% | $9,000,000 | ||
| 2029 | Lions | $8,000,000 | $1,296,000 | $1,478,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $8,504,000 | -- | $0 | ||
| 2030 | Lions | $8,000,000 | $1,296,000 | $1,478,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | -- | $0 | ||
| 2031 | Lions | $8,000,000 | $0 | $1,478,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | -- | $0 | ||
| 2032 | Lions | $8,000,000 | $0 | $1,478,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | -- | $0 | ||
| Total | $48,181,000 | $6,566,534 | $7,390,000 | $765,000 | $150,000 | $7,520,000 | $30,733,923 | $30,865,457 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | Special | |||
| 2022 | 11 | 6 | 5.0% | 9.3% |
| 2023 | 16 | 1 | 37.9% | 11.5% |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | 47.6% | 1.3% |
| 2025 | 14 | 3 | 68.5% | 1.5% |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 16.5% | 0.0% |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $0 | $0 |
| Injury Adjusted | $0 | $0 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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