Better known now for his role as the NFLPA president, Jalen Reeves-Maybin remains an active player. He will likely be on the hunt for a new team soon. The Lions are prepared to move on.
Detroit is set to release the veteran linebacker/special-teamer once the league year begins, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Reeves-Maybin has spent seven of his eight seasons with the Lions, enjoying two stints with the team.
This move will save the Lions $1.89M in cap space, as the team will pass on paying the 30-year-old defender a $2.75M base salary in 2025. This move will bump the Lions’ cap-space figure past $53M, which sits in the middle of the pack nearly two weeks ahead of the 2025 league year.
Arriving as a Bob Quinn-era draftee, Reeves-Maybin has settled in as a special teams presence on better-constructed Brad Holmes rosters. Reeves-Maybin’s only run as a starter came during the Lions’ 3-13-1 season in 2021, but the team was quick to bring him back after a short Texans stint.
The Texans cut Reeves-Maybin in March 2023; he landed back with the Lions two weeks later and signed another contract — a two-year, $7.5M deal — last February. Reeves-Maybin then climbed to the top of the NFLPA ladder. As he will be one of the point men during negotiations on an 18-game season, a search for a new team appears imminent. Although, the Lions could certainly be open to retaining him on a cheaper deal.
Reeves-Maybin has played on at least 60% of the Lions’ special teams snaps in each of his seven seasons with the team. Over the past two, that usage floor climbed to 78%. A year after being a Texans one-and-done, the former fourth-round pick earned his second-team All-Pro nod. Should Reeves-Maybin want to continue playing into his 30s, there will likely be a market for his ST services.