Watch: One clip shows how much Kevin Zeitler embodies grit

New Detroit Lions offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler has an incredible embodiment of grit captured on video

We talk about “grit” a lot when discussing the Detroit Lions. It’s the hallmark of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell regime and their recipe for success.

Yet grit can sometimes be hard to define. It’s a love of football that goes beyond what is expected, but it’s more than that, too. Grit involves passion and respect for the game, but that doesn’t quite sum it up either.

Sometimes it just has to be seen to know what it is. New Lions offensive guard Kevin Zeitler showed his intangible grit in a clip shared by NFL analyst (and former quarterback) Robert Griffin III.

This is grit, ladies and gentlemen…

 

Doing pass sets in the maternity ward while the wife is in labor? Yeah, Dan Campbell’s gonna love this guy!

Report: Lions to sign free agent guard Kevin Zeitler

The Lions are set to sign veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, per Adam Schefter

Brad Holmes was not done in free agency. The Lions GM has been working to bring in more help, and it’s coming on the offensive line.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Lions are signing veteran guard Kevin Zeitler. The 34-year-old Zeitler has been the starting right guard for the Baltimore Ravens for the last three seasons. He’s also played for the Giants, Browns and Bengals, starting 181 games in his 12-year career.

Schefter indicates it will be a one-year deal for Zeitler and the deal is pending the vet passing a physical during a visit to Detroit on Tuesday.

Aaron Donald knew right after playoff loss to the Lions he was retiring

Aaron Donald knew right after the Rams playoff loss to the Lions in Detroit that he was retiring

Aaron Donald has been the best defensive player in the NFL over the last 10 years. So when he retired this offseason after playing just those 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, it caught much of the NFL world by surprise.

It did not, however, catch Rams head coach Sean McVay without some expectation it was coming. As McVay related to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Donald told him the day after the team’s playoff loss in Detroit to the Lions that he was done.

Or rather, “I’m full,” Donald told McVay as quoted by Breer.

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He had just one solo tackle and was not credited with a single QB hit on Jared Goff in Detroit’s wild card round win, the team’s first playoff victory in over 30 years.

Donald had pondered retirement one year earlier but elected to come back for one more ride. Just like Lions legend Barry Sanders, Donald leaves with his body relatively intact after just 10 spectacular NFL seasons.

Several Lions reap contract rewards on the 5th day of the league year

Several Detroit Lions reap contract rewards on the 5th day of the league year as written into their deals

The fifth day of the new NFL league year is always a busy one for contracts. Many contracts are written in with stipulations and contingencies that kick in on the fifth day, which happens to be Monday, March 18th this year.

Detroit had a few contract options kick in on Monday. Most notable is a $5 million roster bonus paid to quarterback Jared Goff. This was set in the contract; it’s not any new or unexpected monies going to Goff.

Another $500,000 went to left tackle Taylor Decker as a roster bonus. Technically, Decker’s bonus was on the third day of the new league year.

Two other players had their 2024 salaries guaranteed as well. Running back David Montgomery and freshly acquired cornerback Carlton Davis now have fully guaranteed salaries in 2024. Note that the recently reported reworking of Davis’ contract might alter that; we don’t yet have the exact details of the new contract.

All contract info provided by Spotrac.

Report: Lions, Carlton Davis agree to contract adjustment

Report: Lions, Carlton Davis agree to contract adjustment that frees up more cap room

One of the biggest moves from the Detroit Lions this offseason has been trading for former Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis. The Lions dealt a third-round pick in 2024 for Davis and two sixth-round picks.

Now that move has a corollary offshoot. Per Jason from Over The Cap, the Lions have agreed to restructure Davis’ three-year, $44.5 million contract he signed with Tampa Bay prior to the 2022 season.

It appears the Lions converted some of his 2024 salary into a bonus, as well as adding on void years to further spread out the impact on the salary cap. The restructuring does not extend Davis’ tenure in Detroit beyond 2024.

The restructured deal parameters, as broken down by Over The Cap,

The Lions traded for Davis in 2024. Following the trade they restructured his contract, converting $6 million in salary to a bonus. The move reduced his 2024 cap number by $4.5 million.

The contract restructuring has not yet been officially recognized on the NFL’s transaction wire or by the Lions, so don’t go spending that extra cap room in 2024 just yet…

Breaking down Amik Robertson’s free agent deal with the Lions

Breaking down CB Amik Robertson’s free agent deal with the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions added former Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson as one of the team’s top free agent additions in 2024. The contract details are now available for Robertson, who will be in the mix at outside cornerback for the new-look Lions secondary.

Robertson’s deal is a modest one. Per Over the Cap, the fifth-year cornerback signed for two years and $9.25 million. It comes with a $3.3 million signing bonus and $4.5 million guaranteed, which includes the full signing bonus and $1.2 million in salary in 2024. He will count $2.85 million in cap room in 2024.

That $1.2 million figure is Robertson’s full salary in 2024. Other than the $1.65 million amortization of the signing bonus, nothing else is guaranteed for the second year of the contract.

There is a $500,000 roster bonus for Robertson in 2025 payable on the fifth day of the league year, as well as a $50,000 workout bonus for next season. His $4.2 million base salary in 2025 features no guarantees, which means the Lions can cut bait without creating much dead money if Robertson doesn’t work out for the team.

Donovan Peoples-Jones signs with the Lions

Free agent wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones signs with the Detroit Lions

The Lions first activity of the offseason at wide receiver arrived on Saturday afternoon. Numerous reports indicate that free agent Donovan Peoples-Jones is heading back to Detroit on a one-year contract.

Per Aaron Wilson, it’s a one-year deal worth up to $2 million for Peoples-Jones to return to the Lions. Detroit acquired the 25-year-old from Cleveland at the trade deadline last fall.

In eight games with the Lions, the Detroit native (Cass Tech HS) caught five passes for 58 yards. Despite having experience as a return man in his Browns days, the Lions opted not to utilize Peoples-Jones in that capacity.

His return bolsters the wideout depth chart, which had lost him and starter Josh Reynolds as free agents. Reynolds remains unsigned.

The Lions re-sign long snapper Scott Daly

Daly was the team’s long snapper from 2021 until he got injured midway through last season

Cross long snapper off the Detroit Lions’ list of needs for the 2024 offseason. Scott Daly is back in Detroit.

The Lions have re-signed Daly, their long snapper from the last three seasons. The 30-year-old comes back to the team after not initially being tendered as a restricted free agent.

Daly has been a consistent presence since taking over for venerable Don Muhlbach, who now serves on the Lions coaching staff and works with Daly daily. Daly injured his knee during Detroit’s Week 8 win over the Raiders on Monday Night Football and missed the rest of the year. He was replaced by veteran Jake McQuaide, who remains available on the free agent market.

Lions bring back CB Khalil Dorsey

Dorsey returns to the Lions after starting two games at CB in 2023

After a brief foray into free agency, cornerback Khalil Dorsey is back in Detroit.

The Lions signed Dorsey back to the roster just days after free agency started. Dorsey started two games at outside CB late in the season and played a major role on special teams, including some kick return reps. His primary role projects as a gunner on coverage units, but Dorsey figures to get opportunities as a return man and depth corner, too.

Dorsey will see quite a few new faces in the DB room. The Lions have acquired Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson and also re-signed injured CB Emmanuel Moseley.

Lions officially tender James Houston among several transactions

Lions officially tender James Houston among several transactions to start the new NFL league year

The start of the new NFL league year commenced at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The flip to 2024 means transactions that had been pending and long-reported are now able to be made official.

Such was the case for the Detroit Lions with a few deals that had been in the works. Among those were the qualifying tender offers for restricted and exclusive rights free agents on the roster.

MOst of these were already known, but the Lions made it official. They extended qualifying offers to just one of the six eligible restricted free agents. Tight end Brock Wright will be back in Detroit for $2.9 million.

The following restricted free agents are now on the open market and no longer under contractual control or compensation ties to the Lions:

  • CB Jerry Jacobs
  • CB Chase Lucas
  • LB Anthony Pittman
  • LS Scott Daly
  • DT Benito Jones
  • CB Khalil Dorsey

For exclusive rights free agents, or ERFAs, the Lions officially tendered five of the six eligible players. Most notable is EDGE James Houston, whose status had been kept quiet by all parties. Houston will play for the NFL league minimum for the Lions in 2024 and will become a restricted free agent following the season if he’s on the roster in some form for at least six games.

The trade for Carlton Davis and recent re-signings of RB Zonovan Knight, CB Emmanuel Moseley and TE Shane Zylstra were also made official on the league’s transaction wire.