Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have agreed to a one-year contract with Tyrell Williams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported the deal could be worth up to $6.2 million for the 2021 season. The Las Vegas Raiders released Williams on Feb. 24, freeing him up to sign with another team.

The 29-year-old didn't make an appearance for the Raiders in 2020 after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum last September. Prior to that, he had been a solid secondary passing option for Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Williams caught 69 passes for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016. That's a bit of an outlier because he proceeded to average 42 receptions for roughly 677 yards and five scores over the next three years.

His presence could be vital in Detroit with leading receiver Marvin Jones and 2019 Pro Bowler Kenny Golladay due to become free agents. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Golladay is an option to get franchise-tagged, which still leaves a big question mark around Jones.

By going to the Lions, Williams will reunite with offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, his coach on the Chargers in 2017 and 2018. That continuity could help him make an easier transition into a new offense.

Because of his shoulder injury, Williams carries an obvious level of risk heading into 2021. Given the team's clear need for depth at wideout, handing him a one-year contract is a sensible gamble for Detroit.

The Detroit Lions traded for quarterback Jared Goff this offseason, but that doesn't mean the team won't do its due diligence on the position at this year's NFL draft. 

General manager Brad Holmes spoke with reporters Tuesday about this year's crop of quarterback prospects:

"The quarterback position in general, what's cool about this year is that they're in all different flavors. You have a guy that can actually do it all, do it from the pocket, do it with his legs. You have another guy that probably a little bit more does it with his legs, a little bit more of being creative. There's another guy probably does it more from the pocket.

"So all the different flavors makes it very, very intriguing in terms of when you're looking across the whole scope of the class of these quarterbacks."

The Lions agreed to trade Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in late January for Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder. But the trade can't become official until the new league year March 17, meaning Holmes and the team can't talk about their new quarterback.

In turn, that means the team can't offer more information about whether they're committed to Goff as a long-term starter or see him more as a bridge quarterback. Regardless, they are doing their homework on the quarterbacks who may be off the board early in this year's draft, from Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and BYU's Zach Wilson to Ohio State's Justin Fields and North Dakota State's Trey Lance. 

"When you're picking in the top 10, I don't think you can ignore—and I think it's smart drafting business anyways, when you're picking in the top 10—that you make sure you know that quarterback class very thoroughly," Holmes said.

The Lions do have other needs, however, including an overhaul of the defense for new head coach Dan Campbell.

"There are some pieces that we definitely need to add," Holmes said. "We can start with the defensive side of the ball. We definitely need some more depth. We will need starters at certain places, so those are things that we are going through."

The Lions are in a rebuilding mode after going 5-11 last season, their third straight losing campaign. The team last made the postseason in 2016 and hasn't won a playoff game since 1991. In other words, there is work to be done in Detroit. How the Lions handle the quarterback position going forward will be the first question the team has to answer at this spring's draft. 

Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. said Thursday he'll be searching for an opportunity to play for a Super Bowl contender when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in March.

Jones explained during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press) that "nothing's off the table" but he'd prefer a chance to win a championship.

"At this point in my career, that's what I want," he said. "That is what I want, but at the same time, it's not going to be—I'm not going to just straight sacrifice and not get what I'm worth just because I've put in my work to get where I'm at and it happened the first time and I did it, and I think I outplayed it the second time."

Jones signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Lions in 2016 after he spent the first four years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft.

The 30-year-old California native is coming off a strong 2020 season in Detroit. He recorded a career-high 76 receptions for 978 yards and nine touchdowns while playing all 16 games.

He posted his only 1,000-yard season in 2017 and caught double-digit touchdowns for Cincinnati in 2013.

In all, Jones has tallied 423 catches for 6,025 yards and 51 touchdowns in 112 career games. He's added 19 receptions across four playoff appearances.

Now he's looking for a chance to compete in the postseason more regularly, but that won't be the only factor in his free-agent decision.

"I think there's variables, obviously," Jones said on SiriusXM. "I know if there's certain teams that come knocking on my door, we'll get something to work for both sides. But at the same time, I am 31 [on March 12], I am going on my 10th season, but I'm still running past people and I'm doing the things that I've always done. So I have no signs of slowing down at all. And I think what I get will reflect that."

Jones is part of a deep group of free-agent wide receivers alongside the Chicago Bears' Allen Robinson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Chris Godwin, Houston Texans' Will Fuller V, Pittsburgh Steelers' JuJu Smith-Schuster and Lions teammate Kenny Golladay.

Fresh off winning a Super Bowl as part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaching staff, Antwaan Randle El is moving to the Detroit Lions. 

The Lions announced on Wednesday that Randle El will be the wide receivers coach on Dan Campbell's staff. 

Since being hired as Detroit's head coach last month, Campbell has been filling out his staff with several veteran coaches. Former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn is taking over as offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn worked with Campbell for the past five seasons with the New Orleans Saints. 

Randle El spent the previous two seasons as an offensive assistant for Bruce Arians with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay's offense ranked first in passing yards in 2019 and second in 2020. The unit finished third in scoring during the 2020 season with 30.8 points per game.

The Lions are entering a rebuilding phase after agreeing to trade Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, first-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-round pick in 2021, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Randle El played nine seasons in the NFL from 2002-10. The Indiana alumnus racked up 4,467 receiving yards, 438 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 143 career games. He threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward that sealed the Pittsburgh Steelers' 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.  

Matthew and Kelly Stafford have bestowed a parting gift on the city of Detroit. 

In an Instagram post Thursday, Kelly Stafford revealed the family is providing financial backing to help create an education center in the city.

The Kelly and Matthew Stafford and Friends Education Center—the name revealed by the SAY Detroit organization that will run the facility—will help the organization aid more students and adults in the area to "benefit from the center's academic, athletic and arts programs ... job training programs, GED classes and community events," according to Kelly Stafford. 

Per Slone Terranella of the Detroit Free Press, the organization is "dedicated to helping students from low-income families overcome literacy inequalities and educational challenges." 

According to Terranella, the Stafford family previously partnered with the organization to build a professional-grade football field, now named Stafford Field. 

After 12 years in Detroit, Matthew Stafford was reportedly dealt to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and a bundle of draft picks. The deal will not become official until the new league year begins on March 17 at 4 p.m. ET. 

"It has been our goal to always give back to the city," Kelly Stafford wrote. "Detroit and its people have blessed us in so many ways, we only hope you have felt our gratitude through our joy of giving back to the city." 

Soon-to-be Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford says he suffered several injuries during his final year with the Detroit Lions.

Stafford told Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press in an interview released Thursday he played through thumb, elbow, rib and ankle injuries to appear in all 16 games for the Lions

"I mean, this past year was bad. I had the partially torn UCL in my right thumb, I tore my UCL on my left elbow on the second to last play of the Houston game that nobody knew about, trying to stiff arm a guy. That's why I started wearing a sleeve on my left arm because I had all sorts of tape underneath it, just to hold it in place.

"I broke my cartilage on my eighth rib in Green Bay. I also tore something (in the back of) my left knee. And then I had a subtalar, right ankle sprain."

Stafford threw for over 4,000 yards with 26 touchdowns despite the injuries.

The Lions agreed to trade him to the Rams in exchange for fellow quarterback Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick in January. The deal will become official when the NFL's new league year begins in March.

From 2011 through 2018, Stafford didn't miss a game. His impressive run of durability ended in November 2019 when he suffered fractured bones in his back.

The 2014 Pro Bowler initially didn't rule himself out for the remainder of that season, but the Lions, who finished 3-12-1, had little reason to reinsert him into the lineup. David Blough and Jeff Driskel finished out the term under center.

Stafford couldn't help Detroit avoid a third straight losing season in 2020, which led to an overhaul.

The Lions fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn in November, triggering a transitional phase—if not a total rebuild—in the coming months following the blockbuster trade.

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson said Sunday that he is "moving toward reconciliation" with the organization.

According to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, Johnson revealed that he has had some face-to-face conversations with Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp.

Johnson spent his entire professional career with the Lions, but he retired in 2016 after just nine seasons. His issues with the Lions date back to his retirement, when the team made him repay a "seven-figure portion" of his $16 million signing bonus.

On Saturday, Johnson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Since the former teams of players who get inducted into the Hall of Fame traditionally hold ceremonies for them during the following season, now would be an ideal time for Johnson and the Lions to get back on the same page.

Although Johnson and the Lions have had their issues since his retirement, there is no denying that he is the greatest wide receiver in team history and likely their best offensive player besides running back Barry Sanders.

Like Sanders, Johnson retired early, as he was just 30 when he called it quits after the 2015 season. Even so, Johnson is the Lions' all-time leader in each of the three major receiving categories with 731 receptions, 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns.

The Lions selected Johnson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft, and it was immediately clear that they had something special on their hands. In his nine NFL seasons, Johnson was named to the Pro Bowl six times and was selected as a First Team All-Pro three times. He also reached the 1,000-yard mark on seven occasions and scored double-digit touchdowns in a season four times.

For a three-season stretch from 2011 to 2013, Johnson was as dominant as any wideout in NFL history, as he averaged 101 receptions for 1,712 yards and 11 touchdowns per season.

His most memorable campaign was in 2012, when he caught 122 passes for an NFL-record 1,964 yards.

Megatron was an athlete unlike any other during his time in the NFL because of his rare combination of size and speed.

The Lions should be celebrating Johnson's career and time in a Lions uniform, and it appears as though the two sides are on the path to making that happen.

Sanders and the Lions had a rocky relationship after he retired given they made him pay back part of his signing bonus, just as they did with Johnson, but they worked things out, and Sanders is now an ambassador for the team.

If the Lions can come to a similar agreement with Johnson, it will be the best possible resolution for everyone involved.

Jared Goff is looking forward to his future with the Detroit Lions. 

"I'm just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me," the quarterback told Michael Silver.

Goff was traded to Detroit in a package that brought quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams following 12 seasons with the Lions. 

The deal came after both Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay were noncommittal regarding the future of the 26-year-old, who just wrapped up his fifth season in the league—all of which were spent with the franchise.

Goff signed a four-year, $134 million extension after Super Bowl LIII, which had capped two division titles and an NFC championship victory in his first two seasons working with McVay. But this year's Rams capsized, and differences between coach and student became public late this season when John Wolford got the wild-card start over Goff. 

"Moving on from Jared Goff, that's ... the money we've invested in him, that's not easy to overcome," Snead said told reporters, adding that "anything can be done." 

Goff's early-career success has seemingly evaporated. In the pat two seasons, he posted 38 turnovers, ranking second in the NFL, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein and Lindsey Thiry. But the Lions found him—and a package of picks that includes two future first-rounders—an acceptable return for their all-time leader on every passing-related leaderboard.

In Detroit, he will inherit an offense that ranked 10th in the league in passing with an average of 256.5 yards per game, led by wideout Marvin Jones Jr.'s 978 yards and 723 from tight end T.J. Hockenson. 

Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders took to Twitter on Sunday to thank quarterback Matthew Stafford for his 12-year run with the franchise.

The Lions agreed to trade Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick Saturday night, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal cannot be completed until the new league year begins March 17.

Stafford and the Lions agreed to part ways after meeting following the end of the 2020 season. Detroit reached the playoffs only three times and never won a postseason game during Stafford's tenure with the franchise.

The 2009 No. 1 overall pick nevertheless leaves the Lions as their all-time leader in every major passing category. 

Detroit's failure to build a winning team around Stafford is far from a new phenomenon. The franchise struggled when Sanders was dazzling as the best running back in football during the 1990s and largely wasted the Stafford-Calvin Johnson connection.

The Lions have not won a playoff game since the 1991 season, their only postseason triumph since the AFL-NFL merger. 

Jared Goff told ESPN's Jeff Darlington that Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Goff was in the team's future plans after the quarterback was reportedly acquired from the Los Angeles Rams along with two first-round picks and a third-round pick for Matthew Stafford.

Yet that might not be enough to stop the Lions from drafting another QB this spring.

Likely to take over as the team's No. 1 quarterback heading into training camp, the Cal product still has four years left on his massive $134 million contract and can't trigger his opt-out clause until after the 2022 season. If he declines to do so, he won't be a free agent until 2024.

Since earning back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 2017 and 2018, Goff passed for 3,952 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season. It was the second consecutive year the quarterback's touchdown passes decreased after he tossed 32 in 2018.

Now the Lions will look to get him back to his All-Star level under Campbell and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn.

That just won't stop Detroit from preparing to groom another quarterback in the near future.

ESPN's Michael Rothstein and Lindsey Thiry reported his spot on the depth chart isn't necessarily secure:

"A source told ESPN the Lions had interest from seven or eight teams offering first-round picks as compensation for Stafford. Though the deal for Goff won't necessarily preclude the Lions from taking a quarterback in this year's draft, Goff told ESPN's Jeff Darlington on Saturday night that he spoke with new Lions coach Dan Campbell, and that Campbell made clear through his message that Goff is in the Lions' plans for the future."

The Lions list two quarterbacks behind Goff—Chase Daniel and David Blough—but the incoming quarterback class provides a number of prospects worth taking a chance on. Especially with Detroit owning the No. 7 pick this year and only the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets in need of the quarterback ahead of them.

Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones, Kyle Trask and Ian Book are all expected to come off the board relatively early with Lawrence and Fields likely to serve as the top two selections.

It would make plenty of sense for Detroit to add another highly touted passer on a rookie contract if Goff's play continues to trend downward.

With the Lions set to cash in on a number of high-end draft picks over the next few years, finding their quarterback of the future remains a priority.

Goff will be given a chance to prove he's that franchise player, but Detroit may be preparing a backup plan just in case.