Lions Plan On Moving Penei Sewell To LT In 2026
For the first time in a decade, the Lions’ left tackle position is set to be manned by someone other than Taylor Decker. The team is planning an internal replacement on the blindside. 
When speaking to reporters on Monday at the league meeting, head coach Dan Campbell said his plan is to move Penei Sewell from right to left tackle. The former seventh overall pick was of course drafted as a left tackle, but his five-year career has so far consisted almost entirely of working opposite Decker. That is set to change in 2026.
“I’ve talked to him,” Campbell said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press) about Sewell making the switch. “We’re ready to do that if need be. I don’t want to say that right now I’m going to commit to that, but that’s – we’re ready to do that. And all he wants is a couple days to work his left-handed stance a little bit… He’ll be fine. He’ll bank some reps and be able to do it, but he gives us that flexibility.”
Decker intends to play next season, but his Lions release means he will only be able to do so with another team. Detroit’s offensive line in general has been seen as a unit in need of stronger play compared to 2025 if the team is to return to the postseason. There is plenty of time for more moves to be made up front, especially with the draft still to come. Nevertheless, moving Sewell to the blindside would fill the vacancy left by Decker’s release for years to come.
Sewell is among the core players who have inked big-ticket extensions with Detroit recently. The three-time All-Pro landed a four-year deal averaging $28MM per season in 2024. That figure stood out amongst right tackles, but it is in line with other pacts at the top of the LT market. Sewell, 25, is under contract through 2029.
Adding an offensive tackle would of course remain a high priority in the event Sewell were to change positions. The Lions are set to select 17th in next month’s draft, meaning many of the top blindside prospects will likely be unavailable by the time they are on the clock. Finding a replacement right tackle to fill in for Sewell may well be a preferable approach to leaving him in place and searching for a plug-and-play left tackle.
NFC Contract Details: Evans, 49ers, Kirk, Commanders, Wentz, Vikings, Cowboys, Cardinals, Seahawks, Falcons, Lions
Here are the key details from some of the free agency deals agreed to around the NFC:
- Mike Evans, WR (49ers). Three years, $42.5MM. More details are in on Evans’ deal, which is essentially a one-year, $14.3MM pact. Four separate $1.5MM escalators for 2027 are in place. If Evans finishes in the top 10 in receptions, yards or receiving touchdowns, he would earn $1.5MM for each such placement. The 49ers must make the playoffs for any of these escalators to kick in, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. San Francisco winning a postseason game this season also would trigger $500K, with any additional playoff wins carrying the same bump (though, $1.5MM is the max Evans can earn from the win-based playoff component of this deal). Evans must play at least 75% of the 49ers’ regular-season offensive snaps to hit the playoff-win incentive, Florio adds. The same escalator steps cover the 2027 season and Evans’ potential 2028 compensation.
- Amik Robertson, CB (Commanders). Two years, $15MM. While Robertson’s signing brought $9MM guaranteed in total, OverTheCap notes $7.35MM is locked in at signing. Robertson’s 2026 cap number sits at $5MM, his 2027 number at $10MM, via ESPN.com’s John Keim. His 2027 base salary ($6.35MM) is nonguaranteed.
- Roy Lopez, DT (Cardinals). Two years, $10.5MM. Lopez’s Arizona return will bring $6MM fully guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Lopez, who did not receive any 2027 salary guarantees at signing, will be due a $250K roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
- Dre Greenlaw, LB (49ers). One year, $6MM. This deal is fully guaranteed, per ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. Greenlaw’s cap number checks in at $3.55MM, as four void years are included here. Greenlaw, who missed nine games as a Bronco in 2025 and was down for almost all of the 2024 season, will see $850K of his third 49ers contract tied to per-game roster bonuses.
- Josh Jones, OL (Seahawks). One year, $4MM. Jones secured $3MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The base value and guarantee match Jones’ 2025 Seattle terms.
- Christian Kirk, WR (49ers). One year, $3MM. The former Cardinals, Jaguars and Texans wideout will see $2.78MM fully guaranteed, Wilson adds. The deal can max out at $6MM.
- Chris Paul, G (Commanders). One year, $3MM. The 2025 starter will see $2.48MM guaranteed at signing, according to Wilson.
- Carson Wentz, QB (Vikings). One year, $3MM. The former No. 2 overall pick will see $2.65MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. This is more than double what the Vikings paid Wentz in 2025.
- Sam Howell, QB (Cowboys). One year, $2.5MM. Howell landed $2MM guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes. The deal maxes out at $3MM, with a $500K incentive pertaining to a Cowboys playoff berth included.
- Samson Ebukam, OLB (Falcons). One year, $2.77MM. Ebukam played out a three-year Colts deal worth $24MM; he will see $700K guaranteed on his Falcons accord, Wilson notes.
- Malcolm Rodriguez, ILB (Lions). One year, $2.75MM. Rodriguez is staying put for $2.7MM fully guaranteed (via Wilson). Because this is the rare four-year qualifying offer, Rodriguez will count just $1.4MM toward the Lions’ cap. The cap number reflects the veteran minimum for a player with four years of service time, with the CBA stipulating a maximum bump from a four-year qualifying contract is $1.55MM.
- Rachaad White, RB (Commanders). One year, $2MM. While the Buccaneers gave Kenneth Gainwell a two-year deal worth $14MM to replace White alongside Bucky Irving, White’s contract will max out at $4MM (per Wilson). The Commanders authorized a $1.72MM guarantee at signing.
- Isiah Pacheco, RB (Lions). One year, $1.81MM. Pacheco’s bounce-back attempt will include a sub-$2MM contract, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicates the deal is fully guaranteed.
Extensions Have Limited Lions’ Free Agent Spending
The Lions and general manager Brad Holmes have done an outstanding job of drafting in recent years, and as a result, they’ve had to be a bit more frugal in free agency this offseason. On a recent appearance on the Lions Collective podcast, Holmes explained how extensions to key contributors over the past few years, and expected extensions over the next couple of years, have put Detroit in a position in which it must think carefully about its free agent spending. 
In 2024 and 2025 alone, the Lions have already dedicated big money extensions to quarterback Jared Goff (four-year, $212MM), defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (four-year, $180MM), wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (four-year, $120.01MM), right tackle Penei Sewell (four-year, $112MM), defensive tackle Alim McNeill (four-year, $97MM), safety Kerby Joseph (four-year, $86MM), and wide receiver Jameson Williams (three-year, $80MM), among others. Holmes anticipates that more long-term agreements will be expected in the near future for young key contributors like running back Jahmyr Gibbs, linebacker Jack Campbell, tight end Sam LaPorta, and safety Brian Branch.
As a result, their moves in free agency have been extremely limited. In 2025 and 2026, Detroit has only signed two players to multi-year contracts with significant annual value, cornerback D.J. Reed (three-year, $48MM) in 2025 and center Cade Mays (three-year, $25MM) in 2026. In addition, they were forced to watch cornerback Carlton Davis and offensive guard Kevin Zeitler walk in 2025 and linebacker Alex Anzalone, cornerback Amik Robertson, defensive tackle Roy Lopez, defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, and wide receiver Kalif Raymond depart this offseason.
“When we’re looking at the constraints we had financially entering in, we’re not going to be able to do a lot of multi-year deals,” Holmes explained. “For what we’re trying to do with these extensions that we have upcoming, the implications that it would have on our cap would be — I don’t want to call it crippling, but it would have been hard to overcome. We were kind of limited in how many multi-year deals that we actually could get.”
This has forced the team to fill out the rest of the roster with one-year deals for cheap veterans with high upside. Holmes’ draft success is forcing the Lions to find unique ways to fill their top-heavy roster of stars with the right players at the right price.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/25/26
Here are Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Detroit Lions
- Signed ERFA tender: K Jake Bates
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: RB Ronnie Rivers
Bates just finished his second season as the Lions’ placekicker and as the NFL’s leader in made point after attempts, thanks to a potent Lions offense scoring enough touchdowns to put the league lead within reach. The Arkansas product converted 64 extra point attempts and 54 more this year, though he has missed five in the NFL’s lengthened format.
In field goals, Bates took a bit of a step back in Year 2. Converting 26 of 29 tries last year, Bates more than double his misses in his sophomore campaign, increasing his number of conversions to 27 but on 34 tries. All of those misses have been from distance, though, as Bates has been perfect from inside the 30-yard line (aside from PATs). He’ll get another season to try and earn a big contract with today’s signing.
Lions Sign G Ben Bartch
Not long after hosting Ben Bartch on a visit, the Lions have a deal in place. The veteran guard signed with Detroit on Wednesday, according to a team announcement.
Bartch comes over from San Francisco, where he began last season as a Week 1 starter. Injuries sidetracked Bartch last season, and he joins a Lions team returning two guard starters. But the six-year veteran has 24 career starts and represents an interesting interior swingman behind Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany.
This marks a third notable interior O-line investment from the Lions in free agency. The team signed ex-Panthers center Cade Mays and added former Texans starter/swingman Juice Scruggs in the David Montgomery trade. Scruggs and Bartch could profile as higher-end depth for a team that dealt with injuries along the interior following Frank Ragnow‘s retirement (and failed unretirement).
Bartch won the 49ers’ left guard job out of training camp, lining up alongside Trent Williams to open last season. A high ankle sprain sustained in Week 2 ended the ex-Jaguar’s run in Kyle Shanahan‘s lineup. Although the 49ers used an IR activation on Bartch, he did not start another game upon returning. A foot sprain then sent the former fourth-round pick back to IR and ended his season.
Spending the previous two 49ers seasons as a backup, Bartch earned a promotion after the team let three-season LG starter Aaron Banks walk (to the Packers) in free agency. The 49ers initially signed Bartch off the Jaguars’ practice squad in November 2023. He made two starts in 2024 but missed time because of a high ankle sprain that season as well. The Jags used Bartch as a 16-game starter from 2021-22, but a dislocated knee blunted his momentum five games into the ’22 season. Jacksonville then acquired replacement Ezra Cleveland at that year’s trade deadline.
Pro Football Focus has graded Bartch well in each of the past two years, but he did not play enough to qualify as a regular in either campaign. PFF nevertheless slotted Bartch inside the top 20 at the position during a 200-snap 2025 slate. He did not grade as well with the Jaguars as a full-timer, ranking 52nd at the position in 2021 — his only season with more than five starts. The Lions will provide another opportunity for the seventh-year vet, who will attempt to bounce back from his latest injury-altered season.
NFC Contract Details: Lions, Franklin, Cross, Cardinals, Cowboys, 49ers, Bears, Saints
Here are the latest details from contracts agreed to around the NFC:
- Cade Mays, C (Lions). Three years, $25MM. Mays secured $6MM of his $7.7MM 2027 base salary fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. Four void years are included in the deal, per the Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers, with Mays’ 2026 cap hit sitting at $2.77MM. A $7.39MM option bonus is in place for 2028; the Lions bailing before that is due would result in a $3.89MM dead money hit, Rogers adds.
- Zaire Franklin, LB (Packers). Two years, $18MM. Two years remained on Franklin’s Colts-constructed contract — initially a three-year, $31.26MM deal. The Packers reworked it. Franklin received a $3.75MM signing bonus on his post-trade agreement, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That is the only guarantee here, though Franklin’s 2026 salary ($4.24MM) will lock in just before Week 1 due to the LB being a vested veteran.
- Nick Cross, S (Commanders). Two years, $13MM. The deal includes $6.1MM fully guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. None of Cross’ 2027 money is guaranteed.
- Neville Gallimore, DT (Bears). Two years, $10.13MM. Gallimore will see $5MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets. The Bears included a $375K roster bonus due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
- Benjamin St-Juste, CB (Packers). Two years, $10MM. St-Juste received just $3MM at signing, Wilson adds. The signing bonus represents the guarantee, though a $1.5MM roster bonus is due on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
- Noah Fant, TE (Saints). Two years, $8.75MM. The former first-round pick secured $4.5MM guaranteed at signing, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell tweets. No guarantees are in place for 2027.
- Elijah Wilkinson, OL (Cardinals). Two years, $6.25MM. Wilkinson’s contract comes with $3.1MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The veteran blocker played for less than $1.5MM during both his Falcons seasons.
- Gardner Minshew, QB (Cardinals). One year, $5.75MM. This deal comes in far south of Minshew’s two-year, $25MM Raiders pact from 2024, and the initially reported $8.25MM represented a max value. Minshew will see $5.14MM fully guaranteed, per Wilson. Minshew’s deal checks in just below Jacoby Brissett‘s for AAV; Brissett is on a two-year, $12.5MM accord.
- Larry Borom, T (Lions). One year, $5MM. Borom’s deal comes almost fully guaranteed, with Wilson noting the at-signing number is $4.9MM. This contract is double his Dolphins deal from 2025.
- Malik Hooker, S (Cowboys). One year, $5MM. Hooker’s reworking will bring a $3MM guarantee, per OverTheCap. Hooker was going into the final season of a three-year, $21MM contract.
- Olamide Zaccheaus, WR (Falcons). Two years, $4.5MM. The ex-Matt Ryan target will return to Atlanta — under the leadership of the team’s new front office boss — for $2.3MM fully guaranteed, Wilson adds.
- Cobie Durant, CB (Cowboys). One year, $4MM. Durant’s deal includes just $1.5MM guaranteed at signing, via OverTheCap, though another $1.75MM (the ex-Ram CB’s base salary) will lock in just before Week 1.
- Nate Hobbs, CB (49ers). One year, $3.5MM. The previously reported $4.5MM number represents the deal’s max value. Hobbs will see $3.11MM fully guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner tweets.
WR D.J. Chark Announces Retirement
After spending the entire 2025 NFL season as a free agent, veteran wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. has opted to hang up his cleats for good. Chark took to Instagram today to “share a proper farewell as (he navigates) retirement.” 
A three-star prospect out of Alexandria HS (LA), Chark opted to commit to nearby LSU — a short, two-hour drive away — after receiving interest from Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Tulane. Through his first two years in Baton Rouge, Chark saw barely any playing time but appeared in too many games to redshirt either season. He found a role in the offense as a junior and led the Tigers in receptions (40), receiving yards (874), and receiving touchdowns (3) as a senior.
With lackluster numbers failing to establish a high draft stock, Chark took part in the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl and led all receivers in the game with five catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. His strong Senior Bowl, combined with a stellar performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, raised Chark’s draft stock to the point he was bordering the first round.
Ultimately, Chark was drafted by the Jaguars near the end of the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He joined a young group of receivers catching balls from Blake Bortles in his final year as the quarterback in Jacksonville, but Chark didn’t see much action through 10 games before sitting for five of the final six of the season. In Year 2, Chark established himself as a leader in the Jaguars receiving corps. Catching balls from rookie starter Gardner Minshew, Chark led the team’s receivers in receptions (73), receiving yards (1,008), and receiving touchdowns (8), earning Pro Bowl honors for the first and only time of his career.
Things in Duval evened out a bit in 2020. Minshew (and two backups who combined for eight starts) peppered targets across a trio of Chark (53 receptions-706 receiving yards-5 touchdowns), Keelan Cole (55-642-5), and Laviska Shenault (58-600-5). Chark’s final season in Jacksonville was limited to four games after he suffered a fractured ankle and spent the rest of the year on injured reserve.
In the years that followed, Chark struggled to find the same highs and success that he enjoyed in Jacksonville, most notably in that Pro Bowl sophomore campaign. He landed a one-year, $10MM contract with the Lions in free agency, but after only logging 30 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns as ankle injuries plagued him, his one-year deal with the Panthers the next year was worth only half as much. Chark showed one more solid campaign in Carolina, with 35 receptions, 525 receiving yards, and five touchdowns, before a hip injury would limit Chark’s time with the Chargers in 2024 to seven games, four receptions, 31 yards, and a single touchdown.
After a bid for another one-year stint with a fifth new team in as many years fell short at the roster cut deadline, Chark didn’t find any other opportunities in the NFL this year. As he prepares for the future, Chark pledged his commitment “to being an active pillar in (his) community, empowering the youth through charitable work.”
Lions Sign DL Payton Turner
The Lions announced the signing of defensive lineman Payton Turner on Friday. The former first-round pick is joining his third NFL team.
After the Saints drafted Turner 28th overall in 2021, then-head coach Sean Payton said of the former Houston Cougar: “He’s got a lot of traits that we value. He was a high-energy player, he’s prototype, his size. We really had this player as someone that you couldn’t help but notice. The makeup was good.”
The pick did not work out for the Saints, who got 31 games (zero starts) and five sacks from Turner over a four-year span. Various injuries, including to his shoulder and toe, held Turner to just 15 of a possible 51 games in his first three seasons. The Saints declined Turner’s fifth-year option heading into 2024, though he went on to play a career-high 16 games and notch two sacks that season.
The Cowboys liked Turner enough to guarantee him $2MM in free agency a year ago, but a rib injury prevented him from suiting up in 2025. Even though the 27-year-old has amassed 54 absences in his half-decade in the league, the Lions will take an inexpensive flyer on him as they search for edge rushers to join Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit lost Al-Quadin Muhammad, who ranked second on the team with 11 sacks last year, to the Buccaneers in free agency. The Lions have since added six-year veteran D.J. Wonnum, while Marcus Davenport is still a free agent in the wake of back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in the Motor City.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/19/26
Thursday’s minor moves from around the NFL…
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: DL Myles Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: CB Cameron Mitchell
A fifth-round pick in 2023, Mitchell was a backup with the Browns until they cut him at the end of September last year. He caught on with the Colts’ practice squad a few days later and wound up playing in eight of their games. As the Colts dealt with injuries to top cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward, Mitchell notched 18 tackles and four passes defensed. The 24-year-old will remain in Indianapolis as depth.
Lions To Sign WR Greg Dortch
Greg Dortch will complete a quick reunion with Drew Petzing. The new Lions offensive coordinator will once again coach his former Cardinals slot charge.
Detroit hosted Dortch on a Wednesday visit, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero note the meeting will lead to a quick signing. It’s a one-year deal.
Contributing as a receiver and both as a kick and punt returner, Dortch will vie for a roster spot with Petzing’s new team. The Cardinals tendered Dortch as an RFA last year ($3.26MM) but will let him walk now that Mike LaFleur‘s in charge.
Operating as a diminutive inside receiver under Kliff Kingsbury and then Petzing in Arizona, Dortch saw time for the Cardinals from 2021-25. Formerly a Jets UDFA, Dortch journeyed to the Rams, Panthers and Falcons before getting a shot in the desert. The Cardinals deployed two 5-foot-7 wideouts — in Dortch and Rondale Moore — from 2021-23, and both enjoyed moments as auxiliary playmakers around the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Trey McBride and Michael Wilson.
Playing in two 2019 games but not seeing any action in 2020, Dortch carved out a Cardinals role in 2022 and logged snap shares from 35-45% on offense over the next four seasons. A veteran of PFR’s Minor NFL Transactions posts, Dortch is still just 27 (28 in May). His best season came under Kingsbury in 2022 (52 receptions, 467 yards), but the Cards kept him around as they transitioned to Petzing’s offense.
Dortch did combine for six touchdown receptions from 2024-25, but he averaged fewer than 10 yards per catch — down to a paltry 7.1 last season — as Arizona’s offense became increasingly unreliable. The Wake Forest alum missed five games last season, being placed on IR in early December. A steadier presence as a return man, Dortch was the Cardinals’ primary kick returner last season. He also served as a regular Arizona punt-return option from 2022-25, though the dual-threat specialist does not have a return TD in his career.
The Lions have starters Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams signed to extensions, and three years remain on Isaac TeSlaa‘s rookie contract. The team also brought back practice squad mainstay Tom Kennedy last week.