The Detroit Lions and the rest of the NFL are coming up on the free agency period, which officially starts with the new league year on Wednesday, March 12, at 4 p.m. Eastern time. But, even with free agency a few days away, moves are being made now, because the NFL’s “legal tampering period” starts on Monday, March 10, at 12 noon Eastern time and runs until Wednesday, March 12, at 12:59 p.m.
It’s been a busy few hours for the Detroit Lions, who lost star defender Carlton Davis to the New England Patriots and have already signed his replacement.
Detroit Lions Welcome D.J. Reed
The Lions made a strong move on Monday by welcoming Reed into the fold. According to NFL insider and expert Jordan Schultz, Reed will sign a three-year, $48 million contract with $32 million in guaranteed money. The move is a significant one for Reed, who has mainly been the No. 2 cornerback for his career, playing with the Seattle, New York and San Francisco, and will now have a higher profile role with the Lions.
“One of the top corners on the market lands a lucrative deal in Detroit,” Schultz stated on X.
Reed has a PFF grade of at least 70.0 and has played in the NFL for six consecutive seasons.
“He and All-Pro Sauce Gardner formed one of the best cornerback tandems in the league, and he will be looking to bring that same edge over to Detroit,” notes Mike Luciano of SideLion Report in a March 10 feature.
More Moves from the Detroit Lions
The Lions have been making moves before this week, too. On Friday, March 7, they inked linebacker Derrick Barnes to an extension. His deal is a three-year, $25.5 million contract extension. Following that move, they re-signed veteran linebacker Anthony Pittman to a one-year contract, as well as linebacker Ezekiel Turner.
Turner was signed by the Lions during the 2024 season, first appearing on their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster following a rash of Detroit Lions injuries. Before coming to the Motor City, Turner was with the Arizona Cardinals for six seasons.
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp spoken highly or Turning, telling the Detroit Football Network last December, “When I was in Philly, and he was in Arizona, we played against each other a handful of games and I always thought he was a very good player. But even better than that for us was actually just the fit.”
Fipp added that the way he covers and “plays the game is very similar to Jalen Reeves-Maybin, so it was like just a natural slide in and fit.” With that in mind, Fipp explained that “it was an easy decision for us.”
They’ve also made some cuts. According to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the team is releasing veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith, so he’ll be available to start negotiating with new teams on Monday, March 10, and will be able to sign a new contract later in the week. These are the first of what will likely be plenty of moves on the part of the Lions during this free agency period.
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