The Detroit Lions plan to release veteran linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin when the new league year begins in March, a source told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Reeves-Maybin, who is the NFL Players Association president, made his first career Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro in 2023. The 30-year-old has been a long-time contributor and special teams standout for the Lions, but he'll be on the open market this spring. He was drafted in the fourth round (124th overall) by Detroit in the 2017 NFL draft out of the University of Tennessee and has spent all eight of his seasons with the Lions. A neck injury limited him to just 10 regular-season games (no starts), and he finished with just 14 tackles (10 solo) and a forced fumble. Reeves-Maybin is mostly useful for his prowess on special teams and should eventually latch on with another organization for the 2025 campaign.
Free-agent linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal with the Detroit Lions on Wednesday, according to his agent Brian McLaughlin. Reeves-Maybin was originally a fourth-round pick by the Lions in 2017 and spent the first five seasons of his NFL career in Detroit before playing for the Houston Texans in 2022. In 17 games (zero starts) for Houston in 2022, he had just 15 tackles (nine solo) and a fumble recovery after posting a career-high 82 combined tackles in 2021 with Detroit. The 28-year-old will return to the Lions to provide depth in the linebacking corps. He can be ignored in IDP fantasy formats.
The Houston Texans are signing free-agent linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin to a deal worth up to $9 million on Thursday, according to a source. Reeves-Maybin spent his first five seasons with the Detroit Lions. He had his best year in 2021, tallying a career-high 82 tackles (53 solo), four tackles for loss, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 15 games (11 starts). The 27-year-old will have a chance for a significant role with his new team after a career-best season in 2021. Reeves-Maybin was taken in the fourth round in 2017 out of Tennessee, and he has a total of 172 tackles (123 solo), eight tackles for loss, three QB hits, half a sack, six passes defensed and four forced fumbles in 70 games.
The Detroit Lions re-signed linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin to a one-year deal with $2.378 million fully guaranteed on Monday. The Lions also released offensive lineman Joe Dahl. The 26-year-old Reeves-Maybin was a fourth-round pick in 2017 out of Tennessee and has primarily played on special teams and in sub-packages on defense in his four seasons with the Lions. He played in just 38 defensive snaps in 16 games last season for Detroit. The speedy linebacker could see some more run as a rotational linebacker in 2021, however, under the new coaching regime led by head coach Dan Campbell.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
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Lions
