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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions To Trade Darius Slay To Eagles

March 19th, 2020 at 8:16am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions and Eagles have reached agreement on a trade that will send cornerback Darius Slay to Philly, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Eagles will send a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick to the Lions and give Slay the lucrative new contract he has been seeking. 

The two sides discussed a possible trade prior to the deadline last season, but were unable to come to terms. Talks picked up steam on Wednesday, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) noted.

The Eagles will give Slay a three-year, $50MM contract extension with $30MM guaranteed, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). The new deal places Slay at the top of the cornerback market; the salary is commensurate with his talent, unlike his previous deal. Slay outperformed his four-year, $48MM contract as the market advanced and he was unhappy about the prospect of playing out that final year.

Slay, 29, notched 46 tackles and two interceptions last year en route to his third straight Pro Bowl. The advanced metrics weren’t high on his work, but he’s fared much better in previous seasons. In 2018, for example, Slay ranked 23rd among 112 eligible CBs. And, in 2017, he graded out as one of PFF’s best as he hauled in a league-leading eight interceptions.

The deal leaves the Lions with a major hole to fill, but their reloaded draft stockpile should help. The deal will bring them the Nos. 85 and 166 overall picks in the draft and they now own five of the top 85 picks. Their first pick comes at No. 3 overall and they could stretch their ammo even further by trading down.

Way back on Monday, March 16th (it’s been a long week), Byron Jones became the league’s highest-paid cornerback by signing a five-year, $82.5MM deal with the Dolphins. That mantle now belongs to Slay, who clocks in with an average annual value of $16.67MM.

Lions Sign CB Desmond Trufant

March 18th, 2020 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Desmond Trufant has found his new home. ESPN’s Jordan Schultz tweets that the free agent cornerback has signed with the Lions. It’s a two-year, $21MM deal, including $14MM in guaranteed money.

Last year, Trufant compiled four interceptions and seven passes defended despite being limited to only nine games. He missed the first quarter of the year with a toe injury and was forced to go on IR in December after suffering a broken forearm. He started 16 games as recently as 2018, when he finished with 66 tackles and 12 passes defended. He earned a Pro Bowl nod with Atlanta in 2015.

Despite having three years remaining on his five-year, $68.75MM deal, Atlanta moved on from the veteran earlier this week. By releasing Trufant, the Falcons saved $4.95MM against $10.2MM in dead money. We heard whispers that the Jets could be interested in Trufant, but the rumor mill had otherwise been quiet surrounding the 29-year-old.

With Trufant signed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes (on Twitter) that the Lions can shift focus to trading cornerback Darius Slay. In late February, Lions GM Bob Quinn explained that all scenarios are being considered when it comes to the cornerback.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/18/20

March 18th, 2020 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tuesday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.

RFAs

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Contract Details: Bridgewater, Panthers, Vaitai, Lions, Byrd, Patriots, Brees, Saints

March 18th, 2020 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest notes on all of the contracts being handed out around the league:

  • QB Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers: signed. Bridgewater got a three-year deal worth $63MM and a whopping $40MM of that is guaranteed in the first two years, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. He got a $15MM signing bonus to take over for the start of the Matt Rhule era. Newton’s post has the full breakdown on how it’ll be paid out with various workout and roster bonuses.
  • OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Lions: signed. Vaitai’s five-year, $50MM contract includes $20MM guaranteed which will come in the first two years of the deal, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio tweets. Detroit can get out of the pact after that.
  • WR Damiere Byrd, Patriots: signed. Byrd’s one-year deal can be worth up to $2.5MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes in a tweet.
  • QB Drew Brees, Saints: re-signed. Brees’ two-year, $50MM new deal with New Orleans includes a signing bonus of $23MM and a small base salary of only $2MM in year one, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That structure as well as two voidable years added on for 2022-2023 help keep his 2020 cap hit very low so the Saints can spend more as they gear up for one more Super Bowl with Brees under center.
  • LB Sean Lee, Cowboys: re-signed. Lee is back for one more ride on a one-year, $4.5MM deal with $2MM guaranteed. He actually could earn up to $6.5MM if he hits some playing time incentives, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, although he writes they’re “not-likely-to-be-earned.”
  • S Darian Thompson, Cowboys: re-signed. Thompson is getting a two-year deal worth $2.5MM, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He’s getting a $200K signing bonus and can earn an extra $250K with playing time escalators.
  • WR Cody Core, Giants: re-signed. New York locked up the special teams ace who barely plays on offense, and he got paid handsomely. Core will be getting $4MM over a two-year deal, Wilson tweets. Only $1MM of it is guaranteed however.
  • S Jordan Poyer, Bills: extension. The full details are in on Poyer’s new pact. Poyer had two new years added on and will now make $22.7MM over the next three years with $13MM of that being guaranteed, Wilson tweets. He also got a $3MM signing bonus. In a separate tweet, Wilson notes that Poyer has an annual $500K interception incentive he can earn.

Lions To Sign Danny Shelton

March 18th, 2020 at 9:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have agreed to sign former Patriots defensive lineman Danny Shelton, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’ll be a two-year deal worth $8MM, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Schefter.

Shelton hooked on with Rosenhaus in February, just weeks before entering unrestricted free agency. Last year, he sat on the market for a few months before re-signing with the Patriots on a one-year deal. This time around, he’s found his deal much sooner.

A better run defender than pass rusher, the 6’2″, 345-pound Shelton took on a key role for the Pats last year. He played in every regular season game and started in 14 of those contests. Overall he played around 49 percent of the defensive snaps for one of the league’s best defenses. With the Lions, he figures to serve as a key rotational piece on the interior.

The Washington product was drafted 12th overall by the Browns back in 2015. He became an instant starter in Cleveland but never quite lived up to his draft status, and was shipped to New England along with a fifth-rounder in exchange for a third-round pick before the 2018 season.

He had three sacks coming up the middle last year, and this continues a trend of Detroit and Matt Patricia picking up former Pats players after they also signed linebacker Jamie Collins earlier this week.

Lions Interested In DB Will Parks

March 17th, 2020 at 7:26pm CST by Ben Levine

We haven’t heard a whole lot from Will Parks‘ camp this week, but Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (via Twitter) that the market has “been consistently strong” for the safety.

Further, Renck notes that the Lions have been “most aggressive” in trying to sign the versatile defensive back. We’ve been hearing throughout the day that Detroit was in the market for a cornerback or safety.

Parks, a 2016 sixth-round pick, has spent his entire four-year career with the Broncos. That includes a 2019 campaign where he compiled 35 tackles, one sack, two passes defended, and one interception in 14 games (seven starts). In total, Parks has appeared in 62 games throughout his career.

We heard earlier this month that Denver could have a tough time retaining Parks. At that time, it was reported that 10 teams could have interest in the 25-year-old.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/20

March 17th, 2020 at 6:55pm CST by Zachary Links

We don’t dance now; we make minor moves.

Detroit Lions

  • Waived: QB Kyle Sloter

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lions Release LB Devon Kennard

March 17th, 2020 at 6:50pm CST by Zachary Links

6:50pm: These trade efforts evidently failed. The Lions have released Kennard, according to a team announcement.

12:05pm: Hold the phone, because the Lions are on the phone. The club is discussing potential trades involving Kennard, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

11:51am: The Lions are releasing linebacker Devon Kennard, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s not quite a Tom Brady-leaving-the-Patriots-level shocker, but it’s a surprise nonetheless. Kennard is coming off of back-to-back seasons with seven sacks, but the Lions have opted to move on from him.

Kennard came to the Lions in 2018 on a three-year, $18.75MM free agent deal. Since then, he’s tallied those aforementioned 14 sacks with 104 total stops, three fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble with near-perfect attendance. Previous to joining the Lions, Kennard started in 35 games for the Giants and posted four sacks as a non-rush linebacker in his walk year.

The Lions have signed another hybrid-type player, and linebacker-edge defender Jamie Collins now has a contract that eclipses Kennard’s. It is possible the longtime Patriot will move in on Kennard’s role. The Lions also gave an eight-figure-per-year deal to offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai. The Lions will save nearly $6MM by moving on from Kennard.

Lions Agree To Terms With DL Nick Williams

March 17th, 2020 at 11:19am CST by Ben Levine

Nick Williams is heading to a division rival. The former Bears defensive lineman is signing with the Lions, reports SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).

The 2013 seventh-round pick has put together a seven-year career, including a recent two-year stint with Chicago. His 2019 season proved to be the best of his career, as he set career-highs in games (16), starts (five), tackles (42), and sacks (six). In total, the 30-year-old has appeared in 44 career regular season games with the Bears, Dolphins, and Chiefs.

The Lions defense is seeing a bit of a makeover. Yesterday, the team agreed to terms with former Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins.

Lions To Sign Chase Daniel

March 17th, 2020 at 10:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have agreed to sign Chase Daniel, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’ll be a three-year, $13.05MM deal for the former Bears quarterback and, interestingly, Schefter hears that the deal will include a voidable clause. 

Daniel joined the Bears on a two-year deal back in 2018 – a pact that also included a void clause. The provision works in Daniel’s favor. If he breaks out a la Nick Foles, he can cash in on the open market. If he remains as a steady clipboard-holding hand, the Lions will get to keep him at a reasonable rate for a respected backup.

Daniel represents a fascinating case in the NFL. At the age of 33 (he’ll be 34 in October), he’s started in just five career NFL games. Still, coaches love his talent and his locker room leadership, so he has cashed in with various clubs in recent years.

Last year, Daniel’s lone start came against the Raiders – the Bears lost that game 24-21. In 2018 (just a few starts ago) he led the Bears to victory over the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

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