Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions have 20 unrestricted free agents, but are not expected to use franchise tag
The NFL’s annual franchise tag window opens Tuesday, and for the sixth straight year the Detroit Lions are not expected to use it.
The Lions have 20 unrestricted free agents, but only two were primary starters last season: Offensive guards Graham Glasgow and Jonah Jackson.
Both Glasgow and Jackson have expressed an interest in re-signing with the Lions for 2024, and Glasgow said the team told him it wants him back as well.
PREP TIME: Detroit Lions 2024 offseason FAQ: Cap space and NFL free agency potential targets
But the projected franchise tag tender for offensive linemen next season is $21.72 million, according to OverTheCap.com, and neither player is likely to approach that number if they hit the open market.
Glasgow played last season on a one-year, $2.75 million deal, while Jackson finished his four-year rookie contract with a base salary of $2.992 million.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Carlos and Shawn” your go-to Detroit sports podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Lions general manager Brad Holmes indicated at his end-of-season news conference earlier this month the Lions would not be major players in free agency, and instead would look to “sign our own.”
The Lions have long-term contract extensions on the horizon with several key players, including quarterback Jared Goff and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Both Goff and St. Brown could score deals that make them among the 10 highest-paid players at their position in the NFL.
Right tackle Penei Sewell and defensive tackle Alim McNeill are among others eligible for contract extensions. Both players are entering the final year of their rookie deals, though the Lions certainly will pick up Sewell’s fifth-year option if they don’t sign him to a new contract by April’s draft.
“It’s one pot,” Holmes said. “You’ve got to be very strategic of (how) that pot is divided up or divvied up. But we’ll be smart, and we’ll make the right moves. But yeah, it just changes the landscape a little bit in free agency.”
MORE: Lions QB Jared Goff worth $50 million a year on new deal? ‘What’s the alternative?’
In addition to Glasgow and Jackson, 10 Lions who started games in 2023 will be unrestricted free agents in March: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Josh Reynolds, Kindle Vildor, Tyson Alualu, Charles Harris, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Will Harris, Matt Nelson, Dan Skipper and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Gardner-Johnson missed most of a last season with a torn pectoral muscle, but started at safety before his injury. Reynolds played as the Lions’ No. 2 or 3 receiver most of the year, and Vildor finished the season as the Lions’ No. 2 cornerback.
The franchise tag is a one-year tender of the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position from the past five years. Players still can negotiate with other teams, but the tagging team has the right to match any contract or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation. If a team uses the exclusive franchise tag, the compensation goes up and the player has no ability to negotiate elsewhere.
Among the teams with tag decisions to make that will impact the free agent market are the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. They have two tag candidates in defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback La’Jarius Sneed, and the Lions’ division rival Chicago Bears might need to franchise cornerback Jaylon Johnson to keep him off the market.
Defensive end Brian Burns of the Carolina Panthers, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike of the Baltimore Ravens, defensive end Josh Allen of the Jacksonville Jaguars, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and receiver Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals are other tag candidates.
The Lions last used the franchise tag on Ziggy Ansah in 2018.
This year’s tag deadline ends March 5.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.
The Vancouver Canucks are set for game two of their season-long six-game road trip. They will face the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night for the second and final time this season.
Brock Boeser picked up a pair of assists in Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, while the Canucks’ three goals came from Liam Öhgren, Jake DeBrusk, and Elias Pettersson.
Filip Hronek also had an assist in the game and played a team-high 26:20 of ice time. The 28-year-old, who will represent his home country of Czechia at this year’s Olympics, has been strong at both ends of the ice this season and holds a 59.7% control of the goal share at five-on-five this season. He has been on the ice for 34 goals scored and 23 goals against.
DeBrusk had a hat trick and four points in the game the last time these two teams met in Detroit.
Pettersson has five goals and 18 points in his 12 games against the Red Wings. He has four three-point games against them in his career and has three goals and 10 points in his six games in Detroit.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Red Wings come into Thursday’s game with an 8-3-1 record in their last 12 games.
- They picked up a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators in their most recent outing.
- Detroit is sitting pretty with a 25-15-4 record, and are second in the Atlantic Division.
- On home ice, they posted a 14-8-1 record this season and have an 8-0-1 record in one-goal games on home ice.
- Lucas Raymond (45 points) and Alex DeBrincat (43 points) lead the offence. DeBrincat is tied with Dylan Larkin for the team lead with 22 goals this season.
- DeBrincat has scored 10 power play goals this season, and the Red Wings’ power play is tied for sixth in the league with its 24.6% conversion rate.
- Moritz Seider leads the way on the backend. He is averaging 25:12 of ice time per game and has 31 points in 44 games.
- John Gibson has made 25 starts this season, while Cam Talbot has 19 of his own. Gibson has a 14-9-1 record while Talbot is 11-6-3.
The Story: Power Plays
Rookie defenceman Tom Willander has been getting a run on the first power play unit over the past few games. The Canucks’ 2023 first-round pick is up to two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 32 games this season.
The Canucks have picked up four power play goals in their last three games.
Jake DeBrusk leads the team with 10, and Kiefer Sherwood sits second on the squad with six.
The team ranks 13th on the power play this season. They have scored on 20.4% of their opportunities with the man advantage.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 3g-1a-4p
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-2a-4p
Linus Karlsson: 2g-2a-4p
Filip Hronek: 1g-3a-4p
Tom Willander: 1g-2a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game is at 4:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
Murder and two related charges have been filed against a Detroit man in the aftermath of an altercation that left one man dead and his brother seriously injured.
Michael Alan Harris, 42, of Detroit was arraigned Tuesday in 36th District Court of Detroit on charges of first-degree murder, felony firearm and resisting and obstructing a police officer, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
The charges are related to the fatal shooting of Jalen Coats Stevens, 28, of Detroit, Worthy said. Stevens was pronounced dead at the scene of an altercation early Sunday in the 15900 block of Grand River Avenue.
During the altercation, Stevens’ brother, Glenn, was stabbed over a dozen times but survived. He has been in the hospital since. Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil hosted by the Stevens family Tuesday night outside of Chita’s Nefertiti bar. The brothers were celebrating a work promotion for Jalen Saturday night before the altercation erupted.
While it was known by Tuesday night that one person was in custody, the family asked the public and police to continue working on the investigation, as the person who had stabbed Glenn had not been located.
In the meantime, Harris is scheduled for a probable cause conference Jan. 14, and a preliminary exam is set for Jan. 21.
The above video originally aired Jan. 6.
Blough is only two years into his coaching career after retiring from playing after the 2023 season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, helping young quarterback Jayden Daniels emerge as a strong franchise player for Washington. Late in the 2025 season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard took the Stanford head coaching job, leaving Blough to serve as the interim quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.
While backing up Jared Goff in Detroit, Blough was often described by the coaching staff as an excellent backup and strong offensive mind.
“I love the kid, if I’m being totally honest with you,” Campbell said back in 2021. “He’s just a little football player. And when I say that, I mean that in the highest regard. Look, he’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is. So, he has not disappointed. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there competing with the rest of those guys.”
As of now, this is the only known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, but it’s still early in the process. When more candidates emerge, we’ll have a tracker so you can see all of the names in one place.
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