HEADLINES

Tate Ratledge

Lions Agree To Terms With Second-Round OL Tate Ratledge

July 18th, 2025 at 3:40pm CST by Ben Levine

July 18: The Lions guaranteed 66% of Ratledge’s Year 3 salary, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Comparatively, Chris Braswell, the No, 57 pick in 2024, only received guarantees for 16.4% of his Year 3 salary (and 57.2% of his total contract).

Ratledge’s deal represents another significant leap in guarantees for second-round picks as the 2025 class continues to sign their rookie contracts.

July 17: Tate Ratledge will be in the building when the Lions start their training camp in full this weekend. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Lions have agreed to terms with their rookie offensive lineman.

Like many teams around the league, the second rounder represented the Lions’ only unsigned draft pick. Detroit’s rookies reported to training camp yesterday.

Ratledge was the 57th pick in this year’s draft following an illustrious college career at Georgia. He established himself as a starter in 2022, and he was part of the championship-winning squads in 2023 and 2024. The lineman earned All-SEC and All-American nods in each of his final two seasons with the Bulldogs.

Ratledge exclusively played right guard in college, and there’s a chance he sticks at either one of the guard positions during the 2025 campaign. The rookie will also compete to replace the retired Frank Ragnow at center. While Ratledge didn’t play the position in college, he served as Georgia’s backup center in practices. The rookie was also spotted snapping for the Lions during spring practices, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

With the signing, the Lions’ entire draft class is now under contract:

33 Unsigned 2025 Draft Picks Remain

July 9th, 2025 at 9:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL has hit a logjam and is collectively lagging far behind where it normally is at this point in the offseason. Two years ago, the league hit its last 30 unsigned players before July. Last year, teams were signing rookies as quickly as they were drafting them, and only 10 players remained unsigned by June 17. A couple intriguing situations have caused pens to go quiet in 2025, and as a result, here are the 33 remaining unsigned rookies of the 2025 NFL Draft:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 4:

  • No. 107 (Jaguars): Jack Kiser (LB, Notre Dame)

In recent years, a trend has seen second-rounders lasting the longest, but what we’re seeing this year is unheard of. As rookies have been getting a bit of flexibility in negotiating structures of guarantees, getting deals done has become a waiting game of seeing what surrounding picks are getting for comparison. Last year, teams breezed through the issue, but 2025 has seen significantly increased troubles.

Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins set the tone by signing a fully guaranteed rookie contract, the first ever for a second-round selection. The next day, the Browns were essentially forced to do the same for Carson Schwesinger, picked one slot before Higgins. Shough, the Saints rookie quarterback, is seeking the same deal, hoping that his elevated status as a passer will help convince New Orleans to continue making history. Shough’s efforts have caused every pick between him and Higgins to stand pat, waiting to see if they get to ask for full guarantees from their teams, as well. This would be a drastic development, as last year’s 40th overall pick, Cooper DeJean, received only two fully guaranteed years with only partial guarantees in Year 3.

The biggest story outside of the second round is that of the standoff between Stewart and the Bengals. Stewart has issues with what he perceives as a lack of protection in Cincinnati’s offer that causes a contract default in any year to void any guarantees in all the following years. It’s a new precedent the team is trying to set, and Stewart seems intent on preventing them from doing so.

It will be interesting to see which standoff gets settled first: Stewart’s or Shough’s. The latter standoff ending would likely set off a domino reaction of second-round deals that would help a large number of teams close out their rookie classes. To this point, only four NFL teams have done so.

NFC North Notes: Reed, Bears, Lions, Vikes

May 24th, 2025 at 12:09pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Since trading Davante Adams to the Raiders in 2022, the Packers have relied on the draft to add wide receivers rather than pursuing veteran talent.

They did so once again this year, drafting Matthew Golden with the 22nd overall pick and double-dipping with Savion Williams in the third round (No. 87 overall). Those picks raised questions about the future of their current receiver corps. Both Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are entering the last year of their rookie contracts, and Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are schedule to hit free agency after the 2026 season.

That uncertainty caused Reed’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to meet with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst in an effort to “clarify the wide receiver’s status in Green Bay,” per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Reed was the team’s leading receiver in his first two NFL seasons, and the Packers intend to keep him in that role moving forward.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur expressed surprise when asked about Reed by NBC Sports’ Chris Simms and praised the 2023 second-rounder’s leadership and production in Green Bay.

“He’s coaching up Matthew Golden, so he’s a guy I don’t worry about,” said LaFleur.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Isaiah Simmons‘ versatility was one of the main reasons that he was a top-10 pick in 2020, but he has struggled to find a positional fit in the NFL. He signed with the Packers this offseason and will play linebacker in Green Bay, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. Simmons spent his first five years in the NFL in a hybrid box/slot role; streamlining his responsibilities at LB could help him unlock his athleticism and finally live up to his draft billing.
  • Lions second-round pick Tate Ratledge primarily played guard at Georgia and will compete for starting jobs with veteran Graham Glasgow and 2024 sixth-rounder Christian Mahogany as a rookie, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley added that Ratledge would also see time at center during OTAs to train for a backup role to Frank Ragnow.
  • Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said that rookie Shemar Turner will focus on playing along the interior of the defensive line before the team tests his edge versatility (via Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network). Turner lined up off the edge at Texas Tech in 2022 and 2023 before bulking up for interior work in 2024. Chicago has depth at both spots this year, but they’re thinner at DT in the long-term, which is where Turner will spend most of his time. Still, his athleticism and experience should give him a chance to contribute as an edge defender at some point in his NFL career.
  • A jury trial for Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has been scheduled for June 16 in the Superior Court of California, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Addison received a citation for a DUI in July 2024 and pleaded not guilty in December.

Lions Acquire No. 57 From Broncos

April 25th, 2025 at 7:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Shortly after moving down the No. 57, the Broncos have traded down once again. Denver has sent that pick and No. 230 to the the Lions for Nos. 60 and 130 (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

With the newly-acquired selection, Detroit has added Tate Ratledge. The Georgia guard was the Lions’ pick in PFR’s first-round mock, and he is indeed headed to the Motor City. Ratledge will likely compete for a starting spot as a rookie.

Ratledge redshirted in 2020 and a foot injury limited him to only one game the following season. From that point on, he operated as a starter for the Bulldogs. Over the past two seasons, Ratledge earned first-team All-SEC acclaim; he added a first-team All-American nod in 2024.

The Lions have had one of the NFL’s top offensive lines for years. That is expected to remain the case moving forward, but the past two offseasons have seen guards Jonah Jackson and Kevin Zeitler depart in free agency. As a result, that position represented a logical target for an early draft addition on the part of Detroit.

The Lions addressed the line of scrimmage on the other side of the ball last night, adding defensive tackle Tyleik Williams at No. 28. That move did not involve a trade-up maneuver, but the fact this one did illustrates how highly-regarded Ratledge is in the organization. If he delivers on investment at the NFL level, Detroit’s offense will remain strong up front for years to come.