The Detroit Lions have been busy to start 2024 NFL free agency, and you can now follow all the latest reputable rumors and reported deals in one spot.
Free agency officially opens Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the start of the new league year, when unrestricted free agents can sign contracts and trades can become official. The flurry began Monday at noon with the legal tampering period.
The Lions entered Monday with about $45 million in cap space, ninth most in the league, according to overthecap.com, though much of that will remain untouched to stay available during next season.
The Lions now have around $31 million in space after the first two days of moves.
General manager Brad Holmes stuck to the plan on Day 1 of free agency, re-signing offensive lineman Graham Glasgow, signing edge Marcus Davenport and trading for cornerback Carlton Davis.
The Lions on Tuesday signed depth cornerback Amik Robertson away from Las Vegas.
What’s next on Wednesday and beyond?
Here are the latest updates from the Lions’ free agency. Be sure to follow our Lions beat writer Dave Birkett and Free Press sports on X (formerly Twitter).
Williams, 29, was one of four big names (Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack) with gigantic salaries to watch on new head coach Jim Harbaugh’s cap-strapped Chargers. L.A. is now cap compliant with the release of Williams, and Mack is expected to stay on with a restructured deal, ESPN reported.
There should be plenty of suitors,” ESPN’s Mike Clay wrote on X after news of Williams’ release broke, listing the Lions among a handful of teams who could be a fit.
The Lions are reportedly interested in the services of 49ers defensive tackle Arik Armstead, who is expected to be released by San Francisco ahead of the 4 p.m. start of the league year to save cap space. Armstead is the latest defensive tackle linked to Detroit as the Lions attempt to beef up their defensive line. They are also linked to former Bengal D.J. Reader, who is scheduled for a meeting with the team Thursday. Armstead has been a constant part of San Francisco’s defensive line since being drafted in the first round by the 49ers in 2015 with the ability to play both inside and outside. He finished with five sacks, 13 quarterback hits and 27 combined tackles in 12 regular season games in 2023, and appeared in all three of San Francisco’s playoff games. Armstead missed 13 combined games in 2022 and 2023 due to ankle and knee injuries. The Armstead rumor was brought up by KPRC’s Aaron Wilson, who covers the Texans, as he was reporting Houston’s trade of DT Maliek Collins to San Francisco. —Jared Ramsey