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.
Detroit, MI
Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know
How to anonymously submit a tip to Crime Stoppers of Michigan
Here are the three ways to submit a tip to Crime Stoppers of Michigan safely and anonymously: by phone, online, and through the P3 Tips mobile app.
Mourning continued and no suspects were in custody a week after the fatal shooting of Detroit restaurateur and nightlife figure Mikey “Mike B” Brown at the end of February.
Brown was the beloved figure behind the “Sloppy” brand of restaurants, and remembrances have been rolling in online since his death.
Here’s what to know:
Shooting outside cocktail bar
“Mike B” Brown, 51, and two others were shot about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 28 in the area of 15789 Schaefer, police previously said.
The two others were found in front of the location, and Brown was found across the street, police said.
Police have asked those with information on the shooting to come forward.
There were no suspects in custody and no further updates in the case as of Monday, March 9, according to a statement from the Detroit Police Department.
Updates on the conditions of the two other individuals shot were also not provided.
Who was Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?
Brown was a husband, a father of five and a restaurateur.
He opened Sloppy Chops Restaurant, a steakhouse, in 2020 on West McNichols off the Lodge Freeway and later opened a seafood restaurant called Sloppy Crab, which was renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. Brown previously had two clubs, as well.
His downtown dining spot served as an answer to questions on offerings for Black diners in the city’s renaissance. His other “Sloppy” location showcased successful reach beyond downtown and into the city’s neighborhoods. Brown was also a cultural figure in not only the world of dining, but in the nightlife, the Free Press reported.
When are funeral services for Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?
A family hour was set for 9 a.m. March 13 and a funeral was set for 10 a.m. March 13, both at Triumph Church –North Campus at 15600 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.
What’s been the fallout since Mike ‘Mike B’ Brown’s death?
Outside of the community hurt, there’s also been calls for a crackdown on establishments that stay open into early morning hours in residential areas, ClickOnDetroit reports.
How to report tips on Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown’s shooting
Those with information tied to the triple shooting can contact the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit at 313-596-2260 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or DetroitRewards.tv.
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills
Former Detroit Lions QB Hendon Hooker reflects on his time in Detroit
Former Lions QB Hendon Hooker joins to discuss his time in Detroit and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s skill on the basketball court.
The Detroit Lions will need to find a new backup quarterback. Kyle Allen, the 30-year-old ninth-year veteran, will reportedly sign with the Buffalo Bills for two years and $4.1 millions, according to ESPN, reuniting him with his former coordinator Joe Brady.
Allen, who came to the Motor City a year ago after inking a one-year deal, appeared in just three games and attempted two passes this past season as starter Jared Goff logged 98.5% of the team’s offensive snaps at quarterback.
Allen’s greatest contribution came in the preseason, when he forced the organization to give up on its experiment with Hendon Hooker.
In the competition for the No. 2 job, Allen outperformed Hooker and made the former 2023 third-round pick expendable by bringing his stunted development into sharp relief. While Hooker struggled to move the offense when he was in command, Allen thrived in his four auditions, spearheading one productive drive after another for the Lions. He completed 79.5% of his attempts, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. All the while, he exhibited a good understanding of the Lions’ timing-based passing game, giving management the confidence he could – if needed – relieve Goff in a pinch.
“I feel very comfortable with him,” Campbell said last August.
But as it turned out, the Lions were never forced to call upon Allen. Goff, who hasn’t missed a start since Week 17 of the 2021 season, remained reliably present.
The Lions hope Goff’s iron-man streak will continue.
But if it for some reason ends, Allen is no longer there to replace him.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
Detroit, MI
Detroit water main break snarls travel on East Jefferson Monday morning
Vehicles travel through water collected near water main break in Detroit.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A water main break in Detroit is causing headaches for drivers and sending water into the streets of one of the city’s east side neighborhoods.
The break involves a 42-inch pipeline at East Jefferson and Burns Drive.
The breakage happened on Sunday, leaving only one lane open for each direction of travel.
Local perspective:
A day after the breakage, water was still gathering on the road of Jefferson Avenue.
Video captured of the scene Monday morning showed vehicles driving through ponds of water. Construction equipment were on site along with traffic cones.
The backstory:
This isn’t the only major disruption to water services in the region.
This weekend, a catastrophic breakage at 14 Mile near Drake impacted several Oakland County communities and thousands of residents.
Novi and Walled Lake were among those hardest hit by the breakage, which included dramatic scenes of waves of water washing down the road, submerging vehicles.
The Source: FOX 2’s Charlie Langton and previous reporting were cited for this story.
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