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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions To Sign Akeem Spence, Cornelius Washington

March 9th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have agreed to sign defensive lineman Akeem Spence to a three-year, $10.5MM deal, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Detroit has also inked fellow DL Cornelius Washington, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a two-year, $6MM deal for Washington, with a max value of $8MM, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Spence, 25, has spent the past four seasons in Tampa Bay after being selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He’s started 30 games during that time, but most of those starts came during his rookie campaign. Since then, Spence has become more of a rotational piece. In 2016, Spence appeared in all 16 games, managing 10 tackles and a half sack.

Washington, meanwhile, has been with the Bears for four years. The former sixth-round pick has followed a career path similar to that of Spence, as Washington has mostly served as a depth option in Chicago. Last year, he appeared in 15 games (two starts), and posted 14 tackles and two sacks.

FA Rumors: Charles, Hightower, Cutler, Bills

March 9th, 2017 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agency rumors from around the league:

  • Jamaal Charles will visit the Seahawks next week, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. The Seahawks’ interest in Charles was first reported on Thursday morning. If he signs with Seattle, he’ll join Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise on the RB depth chart.
  • A Dont’a Hightower/Patriots re-up remains on the table, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (on Twitter) the parties remain in good communication about keeping Hightower in New England.
  • The Jets‘ interest in Jay Cutler is being reciprocated by the veteran quarterback, Rapoport notes (on Twitter). The Bears released Cutler today after eight seasons.
  • Malcolm Smith will receive a raise from the 49ers after his two years with the Raiders. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets it’s a five-year, $26.5MM deal for the outside ‘backer, with $13MM guaranteed. This $5.3MM-AAV pact represents quite the bump from his $3.5MM deal in Oakland, one that didn’t come with rave reviews from the advanced metrics community.
  • The Bills remain interested in retaining Lorenzo Alexander, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tweets. The sides are continuing to work at completing a deal for the edge defender. Although the Bills are moving to a 4-3 scheme, Alexander — who thrived as a 3-4 outside ‘backer in the form of 12.5 sacks in 2016 — looks to still be part of their plans.
  • It sounds like the Bills and Lions are in the lead for wide receiver Russell Shepard (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). He could still wind up returning to the Buccaneers.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/17

March 9th, 2017 at 2:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

Lions To Release LB DeAndre Levy

March 9th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Zachary Links

After eight seasons with the team, the Lions are releasing linebacker DeAndre Levy, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran will be designated a June 1st cut, allowing the team to save some extra cap room for next season (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on Twitter). The linebacker was set to make $5.75MM this upcoming season, and his cap hit accounted for $8.39MM. The organization saves around $1MM by making this move.

DeAndre Levy (vertical)Levy joined the Lions as a third-round pick in 2009, and he quickly established himself as a reliable presence on the defensive side of the ball. The linebacker missed only seven regular season games through his first six years in the league, including a career-year in 2014 when he collected 151 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception, and one safety. Levy earned second-team All-Pro honors following the season, and he subsequently signed a four-year, $33.74MM extension with the Lions.

Detroit’s investment hasn’t paid off over the past two seasons. Levy has only appeared in six games (four starts) since inking the new deal, compiling 21 tackles. A report from earlier this month indicated that the team hadn’t approached the 29-year-old about a pay cut, but there were indications that Levy would still return to the Lions for the 2017 season.

The team will presumably be eyeing some reinforcement at linebacker following this move. The team is currently rostering four players at the position, including Thurston Armbrister, Tahir Whitehead, Antwione Williams, and Paul Worrilow.

Bills, Lions Leading Jared Cook Race?

March 9th, 2017 at 9:58am CST by Sam Robinson

As Jared Cook prepares for his third voyage into free agency, he could again have a new home. The Bills and Lions are leading the race for the veteran tight end hours before the official start of 2017 free agency, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets.

Both have shown the most interest in the resurgent pass-catcher, although both have made big investments at tight end in the recent past. The Lions drafted Eric Ebron in the first round in 2014 and have a fifth-year option decision on him coming soon, and the Bills signed Charles Clay to a notable deal in 2015. Cook, though, showed more chops as a receiver than each during the Packers’ stretch run.

The latest coming out of Green Bay did not reveal much progress between the Packers and Cook on a reunion Aaron Rodgers requested after the season. While Cook did not move the needle much with the Rams on his last major free agent signing prior to re-establishing himself in one of the most pass-catcher-friendly offenses in football, he totaled more than 600 receiving yards in both 2013 and ’14 with substandard quarterback situations.

 

NFC Rumors: Rams, 49ers, Lions, Saints

March 8th, 2017 at 9:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams are receiving “significant interest” as they attempt to trade franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). As of yet, the only club to be directly linked to the Johnson discussions is the Browns, and even that report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com was seemingly tangential and not indicative of definitive interest. Johnson is set to earn nearly $17MM in 2017 under his second consecutive franchise tender.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • Free agent defensive tackle Terrell McClain is generating “a lot of interest” from the 49ers, writes Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. McClain is coming off the best season of his career, as he started more 12 or more games for the first time since 2012. In 15 starts, McClain put up 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He’s also been linked to Atlanta, Seattle, Washington, and Miami.
  • The Lions reached out to offensive tackle Mike Remmers before signing Ricky Wagner, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Remmers isn’t an elite tackle like Wagner, but he can play both the left and right side and has started 32 games for Carolina over the past two seasons. He rates as PFR’s No. 10 free agent offensive tackle.
  • Although the Saints have interest in retaining linebacker Michael Mauti, a deal may not come together until later in free agency, according to Joel Erickson of the Advocate (Twitter link). Mauti, 27, played in eight games for New Orleans last season before being placed on the NFI list with an intestinal issue. While he’s not a contributor on defense, Mauti did play 35% of the Saints’ special teams snaps despite only managing a half-season.
  • The meeting between the Vikings and controversial running back prospect Joe Mixon went “very well,” tweets Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. Mixon will meet with the Raiders next, per Miller, after posting a successful Pro Day this afternoon.

Lions To Sign Paul Worrilow

March 8th, 2017 at 5:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have agreed to sign linebacker Paul Worrilow to a one-year deal, reports Dave Birket of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).Paul Worrilow

Worrilow, 26, acted as a starter for the Falcons for a three-year run from 2013-15, but last year lost his starting job to rookie Deion Jones. The former undrafted free agent still appeared in 12 games, but made only one start, racking up 18 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Despite not playing much of a role on defense, Worrilow was a stalwart on special teams, where he managed to play on more than half Atlanta’s snaps.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn has shown a willingness to pay for special teams play during his year in the Motor City, and it’s possible that’s the role Worrilow will play in Detroit. But he could also earn an opportunity on defense, where the Lions’ only two established linebackers are Tahir Whitehead and DeAndre Levy, the latter of whom can’t seem to stay healthy. Worrilow is an early-down run thumper, but that position has its value.

Giants, Bills Pursuing Martellus Bennett

March 8th, 2017 at 5:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The free agent tight end market is heating up, as the Bills and Giants are pursuing Martellus Bennett, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who also confirmed the previously reported interest displayed by the Jaguars. The Titans and Lions are also contacting tight ends , per La Canfora, while the Packers are aiming to retain Jared Cook.Martellus Bennett (vertical)

Bennett is reportedly seeking $9MM annually after a 2016 campaign which saw him 701 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for New England. Given that Jack Doyle recently re-signed with the Colts for nearly $7MM per season, Bennett seemingly has every right to ask for $9MM, but a report last month indicated a “real possibility” that Bennett won’t be returning to the Patriots in 2017. Now that New England has acquired Dwayne Allen, Bennett is almost assuredly not returning to the Patriots.

The Giants, meanwhile, are reportedly eyeing all the top tight ends on the free agent market, a list that includes Bennett, Cook, and previously Doyle, and have also expressed interest in Anthony Fasano. The Raiders, too, have been linked to Bennett, who ranks as PFR’s No. 20 overall free agent and No. 1 available tight end.

Contract Details: Gholston, Colquitt, Doyle, Davis

March 8th, 2017 at 4:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Updates on the contracts signed over the past couple of days, mostly via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle…

  • Buccaneers defensive end William Gholston‘s contract includes $13.5MM in guaranteed money, as well as a guaranteed base salary of $3MM for the 2017 season (via Twitter). The 25-year-old’s $6.5MM 2018 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2017 league year.
  • Defensive tackle Khyri Thornton‘s deal with the Lions is worth $3.3MM with a $325K bonus (Twitter). Thornton will make $700K in 2017, followed by a $1.325MM salary in 2018. He can earn another $12.5K via annual per game active roster bonus, as well as $225K via a weight bonus.
  • Punter Britton Colquitt‘s new deal with the Browns is worth $11.2MM and $4.5MM guaranteed (via Twitter). The former fourth-rounder will earn $1.65MM in 2017, followed by salaries of $2.55MM (2018), $2.7MM (2019), and $2.8M (2020).
  • Colts tight end Jack Doyle will earn $18.9MM on his next contract (via Twitter). Doyle will earn a guaranteed $1MM next season, followed by a $3.5MM salary in 2018 (guaranteed fifth day of league year) and $5.15MM salary in 2019. The tight end will also earn a $6.5MM roster bonus on March 10th.
  • Fullback James Develin earned a $2.45MM contract from the Patriots along with a $300K signing bonus, reports Wilson (Twitter). Develin will earn $800K each year, with a guaranteed $200K base salary for 2017. He can earn another $12.5K via a per-game active annual roster bonus.
  • ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that tight end Vernon Davis will receive $15MM ($7.5MM guaranteed) from the Redskins. The veteran will make $6MM in the first year of the three-year deal.
  • Punter Shane Lechler‘s new deal with the Texans is for one-year and $2MM ($1MM guaranteed), reports Caplan (via Twitter).

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/17

March 8th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

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