Detroit Lions: DeAndre Levy signing looms large for defense
For a player who is around the football almost every single play and is not a center or quarterback, it sure seems wise for the Detroit Lions to do what they did in re-signing linebacker DeAndre Levy.
Criminally underrated, Levy is one of the best kept secrets in the NFL and one of the best non-pass rushing linebackers in the league. He’s now being paid as such.
Terms of the deal are not yet disclosed, but according to some reports, the expectation is that this deal will make Levy the highest paid non-pass rushing linebacker in the league. That should be a pretty nice raise for a guy who was in the final year of his contract, set to make about $3 million.
Levy’s productivity the last couple of years has been phenomenal, and he barely graded out behind Ndamukong Suh last season as the Lions’ top defensive player per Pro Football Focus. His +23.9 grade was merely the tip of the iceberg for a phenomenal season statistically in 2014, racking up 121 tackles and 80 stops, or plays that constitute an offensive failure.
His 80 stops last season were the most among 4-3 outside linebackers, and 2nd most in the NFL only to Carolina’s Luke Kuechly.
The Lions cut off negotiations last year with Ndamukong Suh, who wound up signing a monster contract with the Miami Dolphins. They also let former first round pick Nick Fairley go sign with the St. Louis Rams. It was a crazy offseason for the Lions from that perspective, but this team overall hopes to take a step toward the Packers in the NFC North, and Levy is going to be a major part of that.
After seeing Seattle’s Bobby Wagner sign a 4-year, $43 million deal less than a week ago, it wouldn’t surprise to see Levy somewhere around that same average per year. This is a player that has racked up 270 tackles over the last two seasons, a player that is going to be a key leader on the Detroit Lions’ defense now for the most significant portion of his career.