The Rams selected Brockers No. 14 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent nine seasons with the team before joining the Lions in 2021. Brockers racked up 57 tackles for loss or no gain over his 11-year career, bullying linemen as a run-stopper and part-time pass rusher. He spent 2023 as a free agent before announcing his retirement on social media this week.

The move saves $10 million against the cap for Detroit while incurring a $4 million dead cap hit. A former first-round pick, Brockers had spent all nine years of his career with the Rams before being traded to the Lions in 2021. He appeared in 16 games during his first season with Detroit but was made a healthy scratch for much of the 2022 season. A strong locker room presence with over a decade of experience, Brockers should be able to land a one-year deal on the open market.

Brockers will get a $2M bonus and the Lions will get a little extra cap space to operate with in the middle of the season. Brockers is under contract through 2023, where his cap figure will be $13.9 million. This figures to make him a little more difficult to cut in 2023, but it's still not entirely out of the realm of possibility. 

The Rams cleared $6.166 million in cap space by moving Brockers to Detroit. The compensation is in line with other recent trades for quality defensive linemen. Brockers had spent his whole career with the Rams, who selected him in the first round of the 2012 draft.