Welp, we kinda saw this coming. The Detroit Lions third-string quarterback Drew Stanton signed a one-year deal today worth $1.25 million. The Jets needed to fill the backup quarterback role behind Mark Sanchez and Stanton was reportedly one of the first on their list as a possible prospect.

Stanton met Thursday and Friday with Jets officials at the team’s facility and they quickly hammered out a deal. They were scheduled to meet Friday with Brady Quinn (Denver Broncos), but that was canceled when the Stanton deal got done.

While it sucks to lose Stanton — who is a great third-string option — I can’t blame him for wanting to play elsewhere. Stanton saw zero time last season and will likely be the number one backup behind Sanchez in New York.

It does, however, leave a rather large gap in Detroit’s QB depth chart. And with Shaun Hill also reportedly visiting with the St. Louis Rams today, it could be potentially devastating if they both end up gone.

Regardless of what happens with Hill, the Lions will likely try to pick up a QB in one of the late rounds of the draft or in free agency. For now, though, we’ll just have to wait.

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MelissaHeyboer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

The Detroit Lions decided to bring back safety Erik Coleman for a one-year deal that should be made official Friday.

After signing with Detroit last season just before the lockout, Coleman missed most of last season with a broken leg he suffered against the Dallas Cowboys in week four.

“I feel like I still have a lot to prove and, hopefully, I get that opportunity and help this team, hopefully, win a championship one day,” Coleman said.

I don’t think the re-signing of Coleman is going to excite anyone, especially given the serious need the Lions have in the secondary. But, re-signing a guy who knows the system and can add a pretty solid amount of depth to the roster (assuming he stays healthy) is never a bad thing.

In addition, the Lions also made their first free agent signing today, by agreeing to terms with fullback James Bryant. Bryant played last season in the CFL as a defensive end. » Continue reading “Lions Re-Sign Erik Coleman, Sign FB James Bryant”

Now that the Detroit Lions have signed Calvin Johnson to a brand spanking new contract, the fun of free agency can start.

The Lions don’t have a ton of money to spend, but they are rumored to be interested in a few free agents. One of those being San Francisco 49ers wide receiver/return specialist Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn reportedly visited Allen Park Wednesday, according to Anwar Richardson. 

Ginn would likely be a fourth option at wide receiver and would hopefully fill the roll of return man, which is something the Lions desperately need. I like Stefan Logan, but he wasn’t the most productive return specialist last season.

Ginn caught 19 passes in 14 games with the San Francisco 49ers and excelled as a return specialist last year, scoring on both kick and punt returns. He helped the 49ers win the NFC West, and his absence because of an ankle injury was a big reason they lost in the conference championship game after two huge special-teams turnovers.

The Lions are also scheduled to host Eric Winston, Marcus McNeill, and Jacob Lacey at some point this week.

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MelissaHeyboer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

Johnson signing his new deal. (Via @TimTwentyman)

Lost in the hoopla of the big announcement was one minor detail: the Calvin Johnson deal was for an entirely new contract, not a contract extension like previously believed.

Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweeted: “Lets be clear that this is a new 8-year deal through 2019. Johnson will not play out last year of rookie deal.” Duly noted.

Johnson’s $132 million contract ($60 million guaranteed) is the richest in NFL history and will likely save the Lions $9 million in cap space.

Andrew Brandt, NFL business analyst tweeted: “Top NFL guarantees prior to $60 million guarantee w/Calvin Johnson: Bradford (50M), Brady (48.5M), Fitz (45.5M), Joe Thomas (44M).”

Have I mentioned I’m really happy about this?

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MelissaHeyboer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

That sound you heard? That was the sound of the entire Lions community (players, personnel, fan base) letting out the air from weeks of holding their breath.

OK, I might be making it a bit more dramatic than it actually is. But the Detroit Lions signing superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson to a seven-year, $132 million extension today is a huge weight of everyone’s shoulders. And I could not possibly be happier right now — which is the most important thing obviously.

You know what that means? That means Megatron will be a Detroit Lion through 2019 and will become the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. Hell. To. The. Yeah. And did I mention that $60 million of that is guaranteed? » Continue reading “Lions Sign Calvin Johnson to 7-year, $132 Million Extension”

Day two of free agency has officially begun. Adam Schefter reported this morning that the first deal of the day involves Detroit Lions cornerback Eric Wright, who reached a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for five years.

The Bucs, 49ers, and Redskins were all rumored yesterday to be interested in Wright.

This makes the Lions situation at CB that much more dire, as Wright was one of the few positive points in the their secondary and it certainly makes a huge impact on their depth chart. I think Detroit wanted to bring Wright back, but their incredibly limited salary cap space was undoubtedly a factor here. I wouldn’t be surprised (and I think they should) go after a CB in free agency as well as in the draft.

With the Lions, Wright played in all 16 games last season and had 73 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 4 interceptions.

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MelissaHeyboer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

Oh, hey LaRon Landry. So, uh, you're rather large.

Happy official first day of the 2012 NFL season, everyone. As of 4 p.m. ET today (err, yesterday), free agency started and the entire football nation went nuts. Except the Detroit Lions. Because, well, they don’t have any money.

What they do have, however, is unrestricted free agents. As of right now, all those free agents are still officially with the Lions. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of rumors today about what could potentially happen over the coming days, weeks, and months. Here’s a rundown of the first day of free agency.

Deep breath, guys.

• Shaun Hill is reportedly set to visit the St. Louis Rams. Hill has expressed interest in staying in Detroit, but you can’t blame the guy for wanting to test the waters.
• Speaking of backup QBs, Drew Stanton is also reportedly set to visit the New York Jets in a couple days. Like Hill, Stanton is also open to saying in Detroit.
• The Lions are reportedly interested in free agent safety LaRon Landry, though no visits have been scheduled as of yet. I would have absolutely zero problem with this. He’s like the size of Vin Diesel, only bigger, and without the awful acting repertoire to back it up. Which doesn’t mean he can play football. But dear Lord. (Pictured above). » Continue reading “I Got a Fever. And the Only Prescription is More Free Agency”

In preparation for free agency, which starts in just a few short hours, the Detroit Lions gave tender offers to three of their restricted free agents yesterday afternoon — OT Corey Hilliard, DT Sammie Hill, and LB DeAndre Levy.

The tenders look like this:

• Corey Hilliard: original-round tender (sixth round) worth $1.26 million
• Sammie Hill: original-round tender (fourth round) worth $1.26 million
• DeAndre Levy: second-round tender worth $1.927 millon

Any team that wants to sign Levy, Hilliard or Hill must give up a similar pick in this year’s draft. If an interested team makes an offer, the Lions have a week to counter the offer or receiver the draft pick. » Continue reading “Corey Hilliard, Sammie Hill, DeAndre Levy Receive Tender Offers”

The Detroit Lions announced yesterday that they have released tight end Will Heller.

I’m not all that surprised about the move, though I am a little disappointed. I thought Heller was one of the more underrated tight ends in the league and certainly an underrated contributor to the Lions the past few years. The release of Heller frees up an additional $1.3 million in salary cap space.

Heller played in all 48 games since joining the Lions in 2009 and started 22 of those.

Heller had six receptions for 42 yards in 2011. He had a 10-yard touchdown reception on the team’s opening drive of the playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.

You can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MelissaHeyboer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barrysandersmemorialblog.

The new NFL year officially starts tomorrow, and the Detroit Lions needed to restructure a few deals in order to get below their $120.6 million salary cap space. It was reported that Detroit was $11.55 million over.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported today that the contracts of Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, and Nate Burleson have all been restructured.

Restructuring essentially converts salaries into signing bonuses, which is good for this year, but will take up more cap space in the future. » Continue reading “Matthew Stafford, Nate Burleson, Ndamukong Suh Get Restructured Contracts”