Detroit Lions

Jared Goff is officially a Detroit Lion, and he told reporters Friday at his introductory press conference that he's "thankful" for his time in Los Angeles but ready to move on with his career.

"There's no ill will," he said (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk). "I want to move forward with my life and my career, and this is the next chapter—it starts today. But I had so many great times there and I'm thankful for everything that I went on there."

Goff was traded to the Lions in a package that included future draft picks in exchange for veteran Matthew Stafford. 

Goff, the No. 1 overall pick by the Rams out of Cal in 2016, took over for Case Keenum as the team's starter for the final seven games of his rookie year, then missed just two regular-season games as the starting quarterback over his next four seasons with the team. 

He finished his time in Los Angeles averaging more than 4,000 yards every year he was a starter, with a career-best season in 2018 when he threw for 4,688 yards and 32 touchdowns en route to his second of two consecutive Pro Bowl selections. 

In 2020, he threw for 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns through 15 games as the Rams went 10-6 and fell in the divisional round. 

In Detroit, Goff will again play for a franchise that employs Brad Holmes—the Lions' general manager. Holmes served as the Rams director of college scouting when the team drafted Goff, per Simmons. 

The Lions hold the No. 7 pick in the upcoming NFL draft, so the team could select their next franchise quarterback from the myriad of options that have come up through the collegiate ranks. But for now, he's content to be heading to Detroit. 

"[I felt like], 'OK, this is where I'm supposed to be. This is how it's supposed to go down,'" he said. 

The Detroit Lions have agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with wide receiver Breshad Perriman.

Drew Rosenhaus, Perriman's agent, relayed the news to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who reported the details on Thursday.

Perriman, 27, will be playing for the team that his father, Brett, suited up for as a wide receiver from 1991-1996.

The younger Perriman broke out in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thanks to 70 catches for 645 yards (17.9 YPC) and six touchdowns.

The New York Jets signed the potent deep threat in free agency, but the 6'1", 215-pound Perriman (along with the rest of the NFL's lowest-scoring offense) encountered difficulties in 2020.

The former UCF star had just 30 catches for 505 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games, missing four due to a left ankle sprain (three) and a concussion (one). His deep-threat efficiency didn't go anywhere, though, as he averaged 16.8 yards per catch.

This is ultimately a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Lions, who are overhauling their team under first-year general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. If Perriman returns to his 2019 form, then this is a steal for Detroit in 2019.

It's also clear what the Lions are looking for in wide receivers: Detroit also signed ex-Las Vegas Raiders wideout Tyrell Williams, who is also a big-play, downfield threat with 16.1 yards per catch for his career.

In other words, Detroit is focusing on pass-catchers who can make big, explosive plays, and the hope is that Williams and Perriman can do so in a partnership with new Detroit quarterback Jared Goff.

Perriman will be following the footsteps of his father, who played for the Lions from 1991-1996 during a 10-year NFL career that also saw him suit up for the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins.

Perriman shined for the Lions during the team's prosperous early-to-mid 1990s era, catching 428 passes for 5,244 yards and 25 touchdowns.

A teammate of Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, Perriman's best year occurred in 1995, when he had 108 catches for 1,488 yards and nine scores.

Detroit made the playoffs in four of Perriman's six seasons in Michigan, including its only NFC Championship Game appearance in January 1992. 

Former Green Bay Packers running back Jamaal Williams has agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Detroit Lions, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Williams' rookie contract with the Packers expired following the 2020 season. He rushed 119 times for 505 yards and two scores last year, adding 31 catches for 236 yards and one more touchdown.

The former BYU star's days in Green Bay appeared numbered after starting running back Aaron Jones reached an agreement on a four-year, $48 million contract to stay in town, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Backup AJ Dillon, who Green Bay drafted in the second round last year, is under team control for three more seasons, so it made sense for Williams to seek other opportunities.

Williams joins a crowded Detroit backfield that features D'Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson. Adrian Peterson, who led Lions running backs in touches last year, has entered free agency.

Swift was a close second in touches, gaining 878 total yards and scoring 10 touchdowns on 160 touches. He was the most efficient running back on the roster and figures to be the team's No. 1 back.

Williams figures to be the No. 2 back in this offense. Both Benjamin Raven of MLive and Chris Burke of The Athletic said the Swift-Williams combo would be a nice two-man combination. Johnson could still see some work and should be the next man up in case Swift or Williams is unable to go in a given week.

Williams is the newest addition to a Lions offense that will look different from last year's unit. The team's leading passer (Matthew Stafford) will be a Los Angeles Ram, its leading rusher (Peterson) is a free agent who will not return, and its top two receivers (Marvin Jones Jr. and Kenny Golladay) aren't coming back.

Jones has agreed to terms with the Jacksonville Jaguars, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Golladay is a free agent who should break the bank elsewhere and has garnered interest from the Miami Dolphins, according to ESPN's Cameron Wolfe.

Williams will play a key role in the Lions' new regime under general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. The team is looking to bounce back from a 5-11 season that landed it in the NFC North basement.

The market for Kenny Golladay may not be as robust as the star wide receiver was hoping for prior to the start of the NFL's free-agency tampering period. 

Per ESPN's Jordan Raanan, the New York Giants and other teams "seem to have questions about (Golladay) and are interested only at certain price points."

After Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Allen Robinson II (Chicago Bears) received the franchise tag from their respective teams, Golladay's value seemed likely to increase by virtue of being the best receiver available in free agency. 

Pro Football Focus predicted Golladay to receive a four-year, $85 million contract ($57 million guaranteed). 

The Giants have been linked to Golladay dating back to the 2020 regular season. ESPN's Jordan Raanan (h/t Mike Rosenstein of NJ Advance Media) reported in October prior to the trade deadline that New York had "some conversation" with the Detroit Lions about the 27-year-old. 

Art Stapleton of The Record reported Tuesday that the Giants and Miami Dolphins are "believed to be two of the most interested suitors" in Golladay. 

Injuries have hampered Golladay throughout his career. The Northern Illinois alum missed five games as a rookie in 2017 with a strained hamstring. He only played five games last season due to hip and hamstring issues. 

Golladay had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019. He led the NFL with 11 touchdown receptions during the 2019 season. 

Defensive end Romeo Okwara re-signed with the Detroit Lions on Monday on a three-year, $39 million contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The 25-year-old had an excellent season for the Lions in 2020, registering 44 tackles (11 for loss), 10 sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery across 16 appearances (nine starts).

Strip. Sack. #ProBowlVote @RomeoND45#DETvsCHI | 📺 FOX | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/IkeiLUs7yi

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 6, 2020

Because Okwara isn't the biggest player, he's generally been used as a pass-rush specialist. The Lions typically didn't utilize him as much on earlier downs, ostensibly worried he might be a liability against the run.

However, he developed nicely in his time in Detroit after posting a single sack across his first two seasons with the New York Giants (2016-17). He was better in 2018 with the Lions, notching 7.5 sacks, though he showed his inconsistency in 2019 with just 1.5 sacks in 14 games.

Okwara took his offseason training seriously ahead of the 2020 season, and the results showed up both on the field and now in his checking account.

Per Michael Rothstein of ESPN, the Notre Dame product said in December:

"That's kind of why you train in the offseason the way we do is the hopes that obviously what you do in the offseason will kind of carry over and help get your body sustained for the season. Hopefully see some success out of that. So yeah, there's definitely points where I'll be looking back into training, and it's kind of I guess what you can hang your hat on in getting you through the season."

The Lions will be hoping Okwara's training this offseason leads to another big campaign in 2021.

The Detroit Lions' announcement that they would not use a franchise tag on star wide receiver Kenny Golladay makes him free to sign with another team beginning Wednesday, March 17 at 4 p.m.

Golladay is the Pro Football Focus top-ranked remaining free agent; he's a downfield threat with a penchant for making the impossible grab possible.

With quarterback Matt Stafford off to Los Angeles, a new signal-caller under center in Jared Goff and no reason to believe the Lions will be vying for a playoff spot come January, Golladay will likely seek to continue his career elsewhere.

What will potential suitors be getting and who looks to be at the front of the line for Golladay's services?

    

An Underrated Playmaker

Golladay has flown under the radar, potentially in the shadow of Detroit predecessor Calvin Johnson.

Upon closer look, though, Golladay and the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee have closer-than-expected numbers through the first 47 games with the Lions:

Kenny Golladay in 47 career games with Lions:
▪️3,068 rec yards
▪️21 TD

Calvin Johnson's first 47 career games with Lions:
▪️3,166 rec yards
▪️22 TD pic.twitter.com/aFN91dSWKw

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) March 9, 2021

Behind by just 100 yards and a single touchdown, Golladay has outperformed his moderate star power.

In 2019, Golladay trended upward following an 1,190-yard, 11-touchdown performance. Last season, he suffered from hip flexor and hamstring injuries, limiting his productivity and availability and leading to his worst year as a professional.

Even then, the big receiver averaged 16.9 yards per catch. 

The upcoming season will be an opportunity to prove that the 2019 campaign was not an anomaly.

Which jersey might he be wearing when he sets out to do just that?

    

Miami A Favorite

Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reported the Dolphins are a team to watch in the Golladay sweepstakes.

"Word around the league is the Dolphins are determined to add a No. 1 receiver in free agency, and they are expected to show considerable interest in Golladay once the legal tampering period begins next week," he wrote. "At 6'4", he certainly fits the big-bodied mold of receivers favored by new co-offensive coordinator George Godsey."

The Dolphins are in need of a playmaker at wideout, regardless of whether they develop Tua Tagovailoa or can manage to execute a trade for Houston's Deshaun Watson.

DeVante Parker is the star of Miami's receiver room, but Golladay would be an upgrade at a position that also touts Preston Williams and Jakeem Grant.

In a league where a team is only as good as its skill players, a team to the north may prove the Fins' greatest competition for the receiver.

    

A Giant Upgrade

ESPN's Jordan Raanan appeared on the Breaking Blue podcast (h/t Dan Benton of USA Today) and confirmed interest from the New York Giants in Golladay, with a caveat. 

"I am telling you, the Giants are interested in Kenny Golladay. There's a reason they called the Lions last year around the trade deadline."

They are, though, concerned about the 2020 injuries.

"He's been injured. He's played one 16-game season in his four years, and there's a reason the Lions didn't really want to sign him long term. They obviously did not feel totally comfortable giving him that money."

Injuries or not, the G-Men will "be in on him."

Whether he ends up in South Beach or the Big Apple, or perhaps up in receiver-starved New England, remains to be seen, but Golladay will be one of the first big signings of the free-agency period and will cash a substantial pay check due to the potential he brings to any passing game he is part of.

The Detroit Lions aren't going to apply the franchise tag to defensive end Romeo Okwara, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported earlier in the day the Lions aren't expected to tag star wide receiver Kenny Golladay either.

Okwara enjoyed a career year in 2020, registering 39 tackles, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles.

The Lions appear to be building from the ground up. They have a new head coach (Dan Campbell) and general manager (Brad Holmes), and they traded franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams.

Assuming it remains the case, Detroit's decision not to tag Golladay is as strong an indicator as any regarding the franchise's priorities. Holmes and the front office appear to be focused on the future rather than pushing for the playoffs in 2021.

Over the Cap estimates the franchise tag for a defensive end to be $17.8 million—the second-highest total at any position. That would be a steep price to pay for Okwara if the Lions are unlikely to be a winning team.

Pro Football Focus also ranked the 25-year-old as the No. 101 free agent available, explaining how his 2020 sack totals weren't emblematic of his performance to that point:

"After over 1,000 snaps of below-average production as a pass-rusher, Okwara finished like a ball of fire with the No. 3 pass-rush grade among edge defenders since Week 12. That stretch run was great, and it capped a career year that saw him post an 85.4 pass-rush grade, ninth-best in the league. If he's truly figured something out, Okwara is worth a shot as a No. 2 pass-rusher, but perspective is needed given the 4.5 years of average play prior to his half-season of dominance."

While getting overshadowed by Von Miller on the Denver Broncos, Shaquil Barrett enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what was his sixth season. He continued to play at a high level in 2020.

Perhaps Okwara has turned a corner in the same way. Nonetheless, it's hard to see another team paying him like an elite pass-rusher right now.

Because of that, declining to tag him not only makes sense for the Lions but also may not preclude him from returning to Detroit.

The Detroit Lions reportedly do not plan on using their franchise tag on wide receiver Kenny Golladay, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. 

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the news, noting it's unclear if the Lions plan on using the tag on another player.

Golladay, 27, spent his first four seasons in Detroit. He's coming off an injury-plagued 2020 that saw him limited to 20 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns in five games.

The Lions have undergone massive organizational changes this offseason, hiring general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell and trading quarterback Matthew Stafford. It seems likely Detroit is headed toward a multiyear rebuild, and Golladay is seemingly not part of the organizational plan.

Golladay will join a free-agent crop of receivers set to include JuJu Smith-Schuster, Will Fuller V and teammate Marvin Jones Jr. Allen Robinson II, the top wideout potentially hitting the market, is yet to have his status decided by the Chicago Bears; it remains possible that they use their franchise tag to keep him from hitting free agency.

Golladay and Fuller will be the best deep threats on the open market, with Golladay averaging 16.8 yards per reception for his career. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019, setting a career-best mark with 11 touchdowns in 2019.

Veteran cornerback Desmond Trufant will reportedly be released by the Detroit Lions. 

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Lions informed Trufant of his release Thursday after he spent one season with the organization. 

After playing the first seven years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons, Trufant signed a two-year, $20 million contract with Detroit in March 2020. 

Trufant was set to count nearly $12.2 million against the salary cap next season. His release will save the Lions $6.2 million, factoring in their $6 million dead cap hit. 

Detroit is operating under a new regime with head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes looking to remake the roster. The first significant move Holmes made was agreeing to acquire Jared Goff, two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-round pick in 2021 for Matthew Stafford. 

That trade can't become official until the start of the new league year on March 17. 

Trufant appeared in only six games for the Lions in 2020 because of injuries. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve prior to Week 13 with a hamstring issue. The 30-year-old had 20 combined tackles and four passes defensed last season. 

The Detroit Lions got an early start to revamping their wide receiver corps Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year contract with Tyrell Williams. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported news of the day, which will pay Williams a maximum of $6.2 million. The Las Vegas Raiders cut Williams last month after two seasons with the franchise. 

The Lions are currently projected at $9 million over the cap without factoring in Williams' contract, so there will likely be significant roster movement in the coming days. Cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman are among the likely cuts.

The Lions will need even more room beyond Trufant and Coleman if they hope to retain Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, who are both free agents. Here is how the Lions offensive depth chart would shape up if Golladay and Jones leave this offseason.

Lions Depth Chart

QB: Jared Goff; Chase Daniel; David Blough
RB: D'Andre Swift; Kerryon Johnson
WR: Tyrell Williams; Quintez Cephus; Tom Kennedy; Victor Bolden Jr.
TE: TJ Hockenson; Jesse James; Hunter Bryant; Alize Mack; Hunter Thedford
LT: Taylor Decker; Dan Skipper; Matt Nelson
LG: Jonah Jackson
C: Frank Ragnow; Joe Dahl; Evan Brown
RG: Logan Stenberg
RT: Tyrell Crosby; Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Notable free agents: WR Kenny Golladay, WR Marvin Jones, RB Adrian Peterson, RG Oday Aboushi 

Williams missed the entire 2020 season after tearing the labrum in his shoulder. He recorded 42 receptions for 651 yards and six touchdowns in 2019, a disappointing result after signing a four-year, $44 million deal with the Raiders.

The Lions will likely hope Williams can become a more reliable downfield target on a budget, but the numbers don't bear that out. After a 1,000-yard season in 2016, Williams has not recorded more than 43 receptions or 728 yards in a season.