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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions To Re-Sign OL Evan Brown

March 14th, 2022 at 6:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Set to be a restricted free agent, Evan Brown is bypassing that process to stay with the Lions. The team’s Frank Ragnow replacement is staying on a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

After Ragnow went down early in the season, Brown stepped in and started 12 games. Pro Football Focus graded the Lions’ O-line 13th, and while Brown checked in with the lowest grade among full-time starters, he posted a respectable mark for his position. This move bolsters the Lions’ depth for the 2022 season.

Brown’s deal is worth just more than $2MM, Doug Kyed and Brad Spielberger of PFF note (via Twitter). This salary comes in just below the right-of-first-refusal tender figure, the lowest of the RFA tender values.

The former UDFA out of SMU remains on track for unrestricted free agency in 2023. The Lions now have all five O-line starters and nearly their entire backup nucleus signed for next season.

Lions To Re-Sign Tracy Walker

March 14th, 2022 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have agreed to a brand new deal with safety Tracy Walker. The veteran will return on a three-year, $25MM contract with $17MM guaranteed, according to a source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Walker, a third-round pick in 2018, was pegged by many draft analysts as a late-round selection. However, the Lions saw something in him and they weren’t willing to let him get away. Now, they know that they made the right choice, especially since the Panthers were ready to pounce at No. 85 overall.

Walker, 27, started in all 15 of his games this year, notching 108 tackles, one sack, one interception, and six passes defensed. Heading into free agency, Pro Football Focus estimated that the safety could notch a two-year, $13MM deal. That’s more or less what he has here, in terms of annual average value, though the Lions went a touch higher at $8MM+ per annum and added an extra year. The details of the deal will be telling — it’s possible that Walker has little in the way of guarantees for that third season.

While Walker could have generated interest on the open market, he was not as valued as other safeties in this year’s class. This year’s group featured Saints standout Marcus Williams (Saints), Chiefs veteran Tyrann Mathieu, and promising Jets safety Marcus Maye.

Lions To Re-Sign Tim Boyle

March 14th, 2022 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

Tim Boyle is back. On Monday, the Lions agreed to a new one-year deal with the backup quarterback, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: Lions To Re-Sign CJ Moore]

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise given Boyle’s standing with the team. The new deal could pay him up to $2.5MM with $1.75MM guaranteed, providing the Lions with an experienced backstop behind starter Jared Goff.

“I’ve built a lot of special relationships here,” Boyle said recently. “I love the area. The fans have been awesome to me. And, yeah, I don’t get paid to make those decisions, but hopefully I put myself in an enough of a position to have them consider me back because I’d love to come back.”

Boyle made three starts in Goff’s stead in 2021. In that limited sample, he completed 64.9% of his throws with three touchdowns against six interceptions. Of course, the Lions are hoping for a healthy, productive season out of Goff, which will mean limited action from Boyle.

Lions To Re-Sign C.J. Moore

March 13th, 2022 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have agreed to re-sign C.J. Moore (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Once finalized, it’ll be a one-year deal worth up to $2.4MM. The deal also includes $800K guaranteed, marking a big step up for the special teams ace. 

Moore, 27 in December, has also seen some time on defense, including Week 14 against the Cardinals. In that game, he notched his first ever NFL interception as Detroit upset Arizona 30-12. He also notched a 28-yard run against the Rams in Week 7 for his second-ever rushing attempt as a pro.

All in all, Moore tallied 22 tackles and one interception in 2021. His special teams work, meanwhile, earned him an overall score of 82.6, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. That figure was good for 26th in the league out of 218 qualified players.

At $2.4MM, the Lions have effectively matched the original round tender that Moore could have received as a restricted free agent. The key difference, however, is that they won’t have to worry about another team prying him away.

Contract Details: Reynolds, Shepard, Martinez

March 12th, 2022 at 10:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Here’s another detailed look at a deal done this week, as well as some information on some contract restructuring in New York:

  • Josh Reynolds, WR (Lions): Two-year, $6MM. The contract has a guaranteed amount of $2.7MM, including a $1.5MM signing bonus and the full 2022 salary of $1.2MM, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Reynolds can really see a payday in 2023. That year of his deal has a base value of $1.8MM, a $1MM roster bonus activated on the third day of the 2023 league year, and $400,000 for the year in per game active bonuses (around $23,529 per game). The deal also holds $2MM of annual incentives based on catches, yards, and touchdowns as well as an additional $2MM incentive in 2023 based on team achievements, playoffs, and stats.
  • The Giants recently came to agreements with wide receiver Sterling Shepard and linebacker Blake Martinez to restructure their contracts. The Athletic reporter Dan Duggan confirmed on Twitter that both deals are worth roughly $2.25MM in 2022 with incentives that can push the value up to about $5MM. The intention was to lower the two veterans’ cap hits and they will do that, dropping Martinez’s cap number from $14MM to about $8MM and Shepard’s number from $12.4MM to about $6.5MM.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/22

March 10th, 2022 at 9:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: OL Brandon Murphy

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Lions To Release Trey Flowers

March 10th, 2022 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are set to release outside linebacker Trey Flowers, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). The Lions first tried to trade the veteran (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), but they ultimately weren’t able to find a suitable deal.

With his outright release, Flowers will be a full-fledged unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team. However, that won’t become official until the first day of the league year (next week), as noted by Birkett. In theory, Flowers could still be traded between now and then, though his contract will probably be a blocker.

Flowers came up with the Patriots, where he missed all but one game in his rookie year. After that, he tallied 21 sacks and 25 tackles for loss across three full seasons. The Lions snagged him in the 2019 offseason, inking the edge rusher to a five-year, $90MM deal. His first year went well with seven sacks and eight total tackles for loss. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered him the last two years — he suited up in just 14 total games between 2020 and 2021.

By releasing the edge rusher, the Lions can save $10.4MM against $12.85MM in dead money. They can also spread out that dead money hit with the post-June 1 designation, which would kick roughly half of it to the 2023 books.

Flowers, 29 in August, had just 1.5 sacks in his partial season. Still, he has youth on his side, ample starting experience, and a career tally of 31.5 sacks.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/22

March 9th, 2022 at 8:06pm CST by Ben Levine

The deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents looms next week. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:

RFAs

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Lions Sign WR Josh Reynolds To Extension

March 8th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Adam La Rose

More news continues to come out of the NFC North. The Lions are signing Josh Reynolds to a two-year contract, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Garafolo adds that the deal is worth up to $12MM. That’s quite the pay raise from the one-year, $1.75MM he signed for last offseason with the Titans. There was plenty optimism surrounding the former fourth rounder at that point, as he was coming off a career year (52 catches, 618 yards, two touchdowns) during his final season with the Rams.

Instead, Reynolds only played five games in Nashville, recording just 10 catches. Stuck behind not only A.J. Brown but also fellow offseason acquisition Julio Jones on the depth chart, he asked to be released to find a new home for the rest of the campaign. That request was granted, and he was claimed off waivers by the Lions.

Reunited with quarterback Jared Goff, his play took off. In seven contests, he averaged 16 yards per catch, totalling 306 yards and two touchdowns. On a team lacking pass-catching options besides T.J. Hockenson and breakout rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, the 27-year-old could fill in comfortably as at least least a reliable secondary option.

Garafolo also notes that the Lions were eager to get this deal done before the start of free agency next week. With Reynolds in place, another notable piece of business has been taken care of.

NFC Coaching Notes: 49ers, Buccaneers, Falcons

March 1st, 2022 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

After getting canned as Jaguars special teams coordinator, Nick Sorensen has found a new gig in San Francisco. The veteran coach will join the 49ers staff as a defensive assistant, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. Prior to his one-year stint on the Jaguars coaching staff, Sorensen had a stint with the Seahawks as their special teams assistant and assistant secondary coach.

The 49ers are also hiring Stephen Adegoke as a defensive quality control coach (per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). Adegoke last served as a graduate assistant on the University of Michigan’s staff.

Meanwhile, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that veteran running backs coach Bobby Turner is stepping away from his role with the 49ers, although the 72-year-old isn’t necessarily retiring. Turner has been a RBs coach in the NFL since 1995, and he’s been with the 49ers since 2017. Former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, who joined the 49ers as assistant head coach, is expected to work closely with the running backs.

More coaching notes out of the NFC…

  • The Buccaneers announced that Larry Foote will move from outside linebackers coach to inside linebackers coach (via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter). Veteran assistant Bob Sanders, who worked with head coach Bruce Arians in Arizona, will be taking over as OLBs coach. Auman also tweets that the Buccaneers hired two new quality control coaches in Jeff Kastl (offense) and Joey Fitzgerald (defense).
  • The Commandeers announced today that they’ve promoted four coaches (via Williams): Todd Storm (offensive quality control coach to assistant tight ends coach), Luke Del Rio (offensive quality control coach to assistant quarterbacks coach/offensive quality control), Vincent Rivera (defensive quality control to assistant linebackers coach/defensive quality control), and Cristian Garcia (coaching intern to defensive quality control coach).
  • The Falcons are hiring Steven King as a special teams assistant, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein (via Twitter). King served as the Tar Heels special teams quality control coach in 2021. He’ll report to Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams.
  • Mark DeLeone is out as the Lions inside linebackers coach, reports Tim Twentyman of the team’s website (on Twitter). Kelvin Sheppard, who spent last season as outside linebackers coach, will move to inside linebackers coach. Meanwhile, following the promotion of Ben Johnson to offensive coordinator, Tanner Engstrand will be the Lions new tight ends coach.
  • Ramsen Golpashin, who recently served as an offensive line and defensive line analyst with UCLA, will join the Packers staff as an offensive quality control coach, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic (on Twitter). Golpashin has also become a hot name on the draft circuit, working with top linemen prospects like Ickey Ekwonu and Aidan Hutchinson.
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