Detroit Free Press

It was a whirlwind of a news day in the NFL on Tuesday, with two major quarterback happenings and more than a half-dozen franchise tag decisions that will have ramifications throughout the offseason. Here’s a look at the biggest storylines of the day, and what they mean for the Detroit Lions: Aaron Rodgers returns to

Update: Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Green Bay Packers on a four-year, $200 million contract extension, according to multiple reports Tuesday. A year after the Detroit Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for two first-round picks, handing the Rams the final piece they needed to win the Super Bowl, the NFC

The Detroit Lions have locked up another one of their top free agents before the new league year opens next week. Wide receiver Josh Reynolds signed a two-year extension with the Lions on Tuesday worth up to $12 million. Claimed off waivers from the Tennessee Titans at midseason, Reynolds played a significant role in the Lions’

A year after the Detroit Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for two first-round picks, handing the Rams the final piece they needed to win the Super Bowl, the NFC North is once again the center of quarterback attention this offseason. But while the NFL awaits Aaron Rodgers’ decision on his future

Matthew Stafford is now a Super Bowl-winning quarterback — and perhaps on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So what are the perks of living as a star in Hollywood? How about courtside seats to a Los Angeles Lakers game while treated to a historic LeBron James performance. Even better? Acknowledgements from The

Dan Campbell said at the NFL combine last week he was close to making one final hire to round out his defensive coach staff. With the combine set to conclude Sunday with defensive back workouts, that deal appears to be done. The Detroit Lions are hiring Lamar defensive line coach Cameron Davis as assistant defensive

INDIANAPOLIS — Antwaan Randle El is about to get his wish. Randle El, the Detroit Lions wide receivers coach, said at the Senior Bowl he hoped the Lions would add three receivers this offseason, including one who could be a true difference maker on the outside. I’m not sure how many pass catchers the Lions

Two of the favorites to go No. 2 in April’s NFL draft to the Detroit Lions had strong showings in the 40-yard dash Saturday at the NFL combine. Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux ran a 4.58-second 40, sixth fastest among defensive ends, while Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson ran a 4.74-second 40, 11th fastest in his position group. Both

INDIANAPOLIS — About two weeks ago, Pro Football Focus, the analytics website, announced it is partnering with Aidan Hutchinson on a podcast detailing his young life. It seemed a worthwhile project for both parties considering the Michigan football standout could be the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. Hutchinson has invested considerable time in

Every year at the NFL combine, there are lots of words. Some are real, some are smokescreens and some are real smokescreens. It can be hard to figure out which is which. But that’s why you have me, a professional parser of pigskin parlance. I’ve been at it a really, really long time, which means

Once considered the likely No. 1 pick in April’s 2022 NFL draft, at least in the eyes of the media, Kayvon Thibodeaux’s stock has dropped in recent months. On Friday at the NFL combine, Thibodeaux spent his interview session trying to dispel what he called “the media narrative,” insisting football always will take precedence over his business

INDIANAPOLIS — As a sports agent, Ben Setas operates in the gray space between the college and pro levels. There are no real allegiances here, no loyalties to one team over another. He’ll conduct business with one NFL franchise, then move onto the next, working on behalf of clients from schools big and small. Among the

INDIANAPOLIS — As Barry Sanders’ backup the first four seasons of his NFL career, Ron Rivers always admired how effortlessly his Hall of Fame teammate set up opposing defenders. Sanders had an uncanny ability to spin out of, cut back on or jitterbug his way through defenses, and while much of it was an innate

INDIANAPOLIS — Before Ikem Ekwonu was one of the best offensive linemen in college football, he had a short-lived career in musical theatre. Ekwonu said at Thursday’s NFL combine he appeared in several productions as a fifth grader growing up in Charlotte, NC. He was a background character in “The Jungle Book.” He played an alley

INDIANAPOLIS — Luke Goedeke had designs on being an NFL tight end when he reported for his first day of football practice at Central Michigan in 2018, even if his coaches secretly saw his future at a different position. A transfer from Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Goedeke showed up to the equipment room and was

INDIANAPOLIS — Treylon Burks has some of the best hands of any receiver in this year’s NFL draft, and he developed them in the most unique of ways. Burks said at the NFL combine Wednesday that he spent his days as a youth hunting feral hogs with his bare hands in rural Arkansas. “You have

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s the hardest position to find in sports, and the later NFL teams wait to address it in the draft, the more difficult it becomes. But Eric DeCosta has helped the Baltimore Ravens buck the trend of busted quarterback draft picks multiple times in his two-plus decades in that franchise’s personnel department. DeCosta

INDIANAPOLIS — Skyy Moore grew up in Pittsburgh, where he played high school football with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s son, Dino. And if the Western Michigan football receiver is being honest, returning to his hometown and playing for his good friend’s father would make for a pretty cool start to his NFL career. “It’s a

INDIANAPOLIS — One of the best prospects in this year’s NFL draft said Wednesday he models his game after one former Detroit Lions wide receiver and considers another current Lions pass catcher “a big brother.” USC’s Drake London said he has tried to emulate Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in his rise to stardom and soon will be

INDIANAPOLIS — Ben Johnson was besieged by congratulatory messages from friends, players, and colleagues after he was named Detroit Lions offensive coordinator in February, but one text in particular caught him by surprise. “It was Matthew Stafford,” Johnson said Tuesday. “It was the week before the Super Bowl, he’s preparing for the biggest game in his