Detroit Lions Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Ryan Griffin To Re-Sign With Texans

March 11th, 2017 at 5:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ryan Griffin reached an agreement to re-sign with the Texans, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. This will be a three-year deal for the fifth-year tight end. He was scheduled to visit the Lions on Monday, Berman reports. The pact will be worth just more than $9MM, with $3.2MM guaranteed, per Berman (Twitter links).

Darren Fells‘ signing with the Lions earlier today may have played into the 27-year-old pass-catcher’s decision-making process.

“This process is absolutely wild. It’s crazy. A whole bunch of stuff happened,” Griffin said, via Berman. “The Lions signed Fells. The pieces fell into place for me to come back. The money was right.”

Griffin emerged as a key Houston pass-catcher during his fourth season, hauling in 50 passes for 442 yards and two touchdowns. Houston will again deploy the tandem of Griffin and C.J. Fiedorowicz in 2017, with the latter entering a contract year. A former sixth-round pick, Griffin nearly doubled his previous career-high figure in receiving yards last season, with Houston’s two tight ends combining for just more than 1,000 yards during Brock Osweiler‘s one-year cameo.

Prior to his increased usage in 2016, Griffin never caught more than 20 passes in an NFL campaign, so Osweiler’s penchant for feeding the Texans’ tight ends looks to have benefited one player, even if the team involved him in one of the weirdest trades in NFL history.

The Texans now have their core of 2016 pass-catchers retained for at least one more season but obviously have a question as to who will be distributing the passes in 2017.

Lions Sign Keshawn Martin

March 11th, 2017 at 2:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have signed wide receiver Keshawn Martin to an undisclosed contract, the team announced today.

Martin only appeared in one game last season after signing with the 49ers, and while he didn’t post any receiving statistics, he did return two kickoffs. After getting cut in November, Martin worked out for the Bears and Broncos, but never landed another contract. Now, he’ll head to Detroit where general manager Bob Quinn should be familiar with Martin given the pair’s time with the Patriots.

Martin, 26, was traded from the Texans to New England in September 2015, and he ended up appearing in nine games (eight starts) for the Patriots, compiling 24 catches for 269 yards and two touchdowns. The former Michigan State Spartan agreed to an extension with the Patriots in January 2016 that included $600K guaranteed, but New England cut bait relatively soon. Over his five-year career, Martin has 62 receptions for 685 yards and five touchdowns.

Andre Holmes To Visit Lions

March 11th, 2017 at 9:35am CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent wide receiver Andre Holmes will visit the Lions on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Detroit was one of six teams with reported interest in Holmes earlier this month, a list that also included the Raiders, 49ers, Redskins, Jets, and Bears. As of yet, the Lions have mostly focused on defensive additions this offseason, with their one offensive signing being tackle Ricky Wagner. Wide receiver Corey Brown took a visit with the club on Friday, however, while the Lions have also been linked to pass-catchers Andre Roberts, Jared Cook, and Darren Fells.

Holmes, 28, has spent the past four seasons in Oakland after beginning his career with the Cowboys. The former undrafted free agent was a large part of the Raiders’ offense as recently as two years ago, as he posted 47 receptions for nearly 700 yards and four touchdowns during the 2014 campaign. In 2016, however, Holmes managed only 14 catches, but was a key cog on special teams, where he played over 65% of Oakland’s snaps.

Due to his lackluster offensive production, Holmes didn’t earn a spot among PFR’s free agent wide receiver rankings, but clearly clubs have already expressed interest in acquiring the 6’5″ pass-catcher. Holmes earned $2MM in 2016 on a one-year deal with Oakland, which was agreed to after other teams pushed to sign him.

Lions Designate DeAndre Levy Post June-1 Cut

March 10th, 2017 at 10:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Both linebacker DeAndre Levy (Lions) and safety Aaron Williams (Bills) were designated as post-June 1 releases, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Those decisions will save Detroit and Buffalo some cap space the short term, but both teams will see dead money incur on their 2018 books.

Lions Host WR Philly Brown On Visit

March 10th, 2017 at 9:24am CST by Zachary Links

Panthers free agent wide receiver Corey Brown is visiting the Lions, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The team was previously connected to free agent wideout Andre Roberts.

The former undrafted free agent has spent his entire three-year career in Carolina. The wideout ultimately started 22 games during his tenure with the Panthers, catching 79 passes for 1,019 yards and seven touchdowns. The 25-year-old also has 16 career rushing attempts for 139 yards. “Philly” appeared in all 16 games (eight starts) last season, hauling in 27 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown.

Brown could provide some depth behind Marvin Jones and Golden Tate in Detroit. The receiver would presumably compete with T.J. Jones, Jace Billingsley, and Ryan Spadola for additional targets.

Lions To Sign CB D.J. Hayden

March 10th, 2017 at 7:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions and cornerback D.J. Hayden agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth as much as $5.25MM, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Hayden, 27 in June, suffered a hamstring injury in November of last year, ending his season after just eleven games played. At the time of the injury, Hayden was ranked as No. 100 cornerback in the NFL out of 120 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus. He posted poor grades for both coverage and run defense, but he had a better-than-average pass rush grade in his 476 total snaps. Of course, PFF’s scores aren’t everything and Hayden does come with starting experience.

Hayden entered the league as the No. 12 overall pick in 2013. He has not lived up to his first-round billing and he has only one fully healthy season on his resume. Now, he’ll likely be the first cornerback off the bench in support of Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson.

In other Lions news, tight end Darren Fells is set to visit, two other teams have entered the mix to sign Andre Roberts, and T.J. Lang will make Detroit one of his first stops on his free agent tour. The Lions snagged a big fish when they signed tackle Ricky Wagner and they shed a big name when they dropped linebacker DeAndre Levy.

Contract Details: Garcon, Baker, Klein, Jones

March 9th, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at some details of the free agent contracts signed today:

Chris Baker, DL (Buccaneers): Three years, $15.75MM. $9MM guaranteed. $1MM in sack incentives each season (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post).
Jack Crawford, DL (Falcons): Three years, $10.3MM. $3.75MM in 2017 (Twitter link via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
Pierre Garcon, WR (49ers): Two years, $23MM. $17MM guaranteed. Options for 2019 ($6MM), 2020 ($8.9MM), and 2021 ($9.6MM) (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Landry Jones, QB (Steelers): Two years, $4.4MM. $600K signing bonus (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com).
A.J. Klein, LB (Saints): Four years, $24MM. $4MM signing bonus. $9.4MM guaranteed. 2020 season will void Klein is on Saints roster on last day of 2019 league year (via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
Jeff Locke, P (Colts): Two years, $3.45MM. $1.25MM guaranteed (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com and Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star).
Ryan Mallett, QB (Ravens): One year, $2MM. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Akeem Spence, DL (Lions): Three years, $9MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. $1MM available via escalators (Twitter link via Peliserro).
D.J. Swearinger, S (Redskins): Three years, $13.5MM. $9MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).

TE Darren Fells To Visit Lions

March 9th, 2017 at 5:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Former Cardinals tight end Darren Fells will be visiting the Lions tomorrow, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Arizona decided to non-tender the restricted free agent earlier today. It was expected that Fells’ tenure in Arizona might be over following the team’s signing of Jermaine Gresham.

Following a breakout 2015 campaign, Fells took a step back this past season. The tight end ultimately played in 14 games (seven starts), hauling in 14 receptions for 154 yards and one touchdown. In three NFL seasons, the 30-year-old has collected 40 receptions for 536 yards and four touchdowns.

The Lions could use some depth at the position, as they’re currently rostering only a pair of tight ends in Eric Ebron and Cole Wick.

Three Teams Interested In WR Andre Roberts

March 9th, 2017 at 5:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Wideout Andre Roberts has drawn interest from several teams, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter). The Patriots, Falcons, and Lions are among the teams eyeing the free agent receiver.

Roberts had a disappointing first season in Detroit, finishing with only 14 receptions for 188 yards and one touchdown. The 29-year-old’s best season came back in 2012 with the Cardinals, when he finished with 64 receptions for 759 yards and five touchdowns. The wideout also has nine career carries for 77 yards.

Roberts would presumably slide in as the Patriots’ fifth wideout, or he could potentially replace Danny Amendola in the lineup. He’d be competing with Devin Fuller and Nick Williams for snaps in Atlanta, while Detroit would presumably continue to use him behind Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, and T.J. Jones.

T.J. Lang To Meet With Lions, Seahawks

March 9th, 2017 at 4:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Offensive guard T.J. Lang‘s first two free agent visits will be with the Lions and Seahawks, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The reporter adds that the Packers, Lang’s former team, are still in the mix. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein adds that Lang met with the Lions today, noting that the lineman only lives 20 minutes from Allen Park. Rothstein believes the player’s physical “will be the key here.”

The 29-year-old is one of the more popular names in free agency. The three teams listed above consistently been connected to the lineman. The interest isn’t much of a surprise, as the guard has proven to be one of the Packers’ more reliable options. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2011, Lang has only missed five regular season games.

Pro Football Focus was particularly fond of his 2016 performance, despite the fact that he “only” played in 13 games. The website ranked Lang as the NFL’s eight-best guard, with his pass blocking skills being graded as elite.

Meanwhile, PFR ranked Lang as the second-best free agent interior lineman behind Kevin Zeitler. Zach Links predicted that the lineman would earn the 14th-highest contract this offseason.

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