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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions To Sign Ricky Wagner

March 8th, 2017 at 11:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions and tackle Ricky Wagner have agreed to terms on a deal, NFL reporter Rand Getlin tweets. The deal will pay him more than $9MM per year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a five-year contract for Wagner, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).<a rel=

Throughout the offseason, we’ve heard rumblings of Wagner fetching around $10MM/year, a staggering number for a right tackle. However, salaries are on the rise across the board thanks to the cap increase and Wagner was in great position to get paid given the lack of quality tackles in this year’s free agent crop. It also helps that the draft is soft on tackles.

The Lions are a natural fit for the 27-year-old, as offensive lineman Riley Reiff is also a free agent. The team has tackles Taylor Decker, Corey Robinson, and Pierce Burton on the books for next season.

Until now, Wagner spent his entire four-year career with the Ravens after being selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. The offensive tackle played in 62 total games for Baltimore, including 47 starts.

I had ranked Wagner as the second-best offensive tackle available in free agency. The veteran slotted below Andrew Whitworth and above Russell Okung, though I had him slated to make more money than both.

The rival Bears were said to also have interest in Wagner, as were the Texans and Vikings. There were reports that the Ravens were also interested in retaining the lineman.

Lions Meet With Joe Mixon Pre-Pro Day

March 8th, 2017 at 9:32am CST by Zachary Links
  • Between Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is set to meet with 24 teams in total as a part of his pro day gauntlet, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Mixon met with the Bengals, Browns, Lions and Saints on Tuesday night, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (via Twitter), in advance of what will be a critical showcase for the controversial running back.

Lions, Khyri Thornton Agree To Deal

March 7th, 2017 at 9:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Lions and restricted free agent defensive tackle Khyri Thornton have agreed to a deal, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. It’s a two-year, $3.3MM pact that features a $325K signing bonus (Twitter link). Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the deal is actually worth $3.6MM.

Khyri Thornton (featured)

Thornton, 27, entered the NFL as the Packers’ third-round pick in 2014, but he didn’t suit up in any regular-season games with the team. He debuted in 2015 as a member of the NFC North rival Lions, with whom he has totaled 19 appearances. Thirteen of those appearances came last year for Thornton, who made the first six starts of his career, registered his first sack and tallied 19 tackles. Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed, though, as it ranked his performance 121st among 126 qualified interior D-linemen.

After appearing in 29.9 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps last year, Thornton should once again serve as depth for the club next season. Haloti Ngata, who plans to return for his age-33 campaign, and A’Shawn Robinson figure to slot in ahead of Thornton along Detroit’s interior line.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/7/17

March 7th, 2017 at 7:04pm 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, Texans Interested In Ricky Wagner

March 7th, 2017 at 6:53pm CST by Ben Levine

After learning that the Vikings and Bears would have some interest in free agent offensive lineman Ricky Wagner, it looks like we can add another pair of teams to the list of potential suitors. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) that both the Lions and Texans will “be in play” for the veteran.

Ricky Wagner (featured)

Wagner has spent his entire four-year career with the Ravens after being selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. The offensive tackle ultimately played in 62 games for Baltimore, including 47 starts. A recent report indicated that the ship “appears to have sailed” regarding Wagner’s return to the Ravens.

The Lions are a natural fit for the 27-year-old, as offensive lineman Riley Reiff is also currently a free agent. Meanwhile, our own Connor Byrne noted that the Texans should seek some offensive line help this offseason. However, he could be out of their price range, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

PFR’s Zach Links ranked Wagner as the second-best offensive tackle available in free agency. The veteran was listed below Andrew Whitworth and above Russell Okung.

Lions A Potential Suitor For OL D.J. Fluker

March 7th, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links
  • When it comes to offensive lineman D.J. Fluker, the Saints, Lions, Seahawks, Colts, Vikings, Giants, Cardinals, and Falcons are among the potential teams to watch, according to Josina Anderson on Twitter.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Six Teams Interested In WR Andre Holmes

March 6th, 2017 at 5:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers, Redskins, Lions, Jets, Bears, and Raiders are all potential landing spots for pending free agent wide receiver Andre Holmes, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).Andre Holmes (Vertical)

[RELATED: PFR’s Top 50 2017 Free Agents]

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.

Haloti Ngata To Return In '17

March 6th, 2017 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Lions Open To Extending Eric Ebron

March 4th, 2017 at 10:49am CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Lions are open to discussing an extension with Eric Ebron, but Bob Quinn said (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com) that conversation won’t occur for months. Detroit has Ebron’s fifth-year option decision due in early May. Ebron is due $3.9MM in 2017, and Meinke notes Quinn’s recent comments on the tight end suggest he is genuinely interested in keeping him in the Motor City long-term. Ebron could see a bigger role in ’17 if the Lions don’t bring back Anquan Boldin. The 23-year-old tight end set career highs in receptions (61) and yards (711) last season despite playing in just 13 games.
  • Recipient of an extension that hasn’t benefited the Lions, DeAndre Levy has yet to be approached about a pay cut or restructure, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com notes. This course of action may be coming this offseason after Levy’s last two years of work — just 21 tackles and six games played since signing that four-year, $33.74MM extension — but it hasn’t yet. And Quinn expects Levy to return in 2017, although that decision isn’t final yet. As a result of Levy’s injury issues, linebacker is a glaring need for the Lions going into free agency.

Lions Interested In Paul Worrilow

March 3rd, 2017 at 9:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
  • Falcons impending free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow has drawn interest from the Patriots, Lions, Eagles and Colts leading up to March 9, relays Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The 26-year-old wasn’t much of a factor last season as a member of the NFC champions, with whom he collected one start and 18 tackles in 12 games. But Worrilow did garner significant playing time with the Falcons from 2013-15, when he logged 47 appearances, 42 starts and made between 95 and 143 tackles in each season. Worrilow also totaled four sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions during that three-year span.
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