Former Clemson Tiger Jayron Kearse to the Detroit Lions
Former Clemson Tiger Jayron Kearse is on the move in the NFL, as it was announced Thursday that the safety has a new home in Detroit with the Lions.
The contract is one-year, $2.75 million deal.
Kearse is likely to start the season suspended after he pled guilty to driving while intoxicated last month.
Kearse was cited around 3:40 a.m. local time after police noticed him pulling his car into a closed section of the highway. Kearse's blood alcohol level was found to be .10, which is above Minnesota's legal limit.
Kearse was selected in the 7th round (#244) of the 2016 NFL Draft after declaring after his junior year. He has appeared in 31 games with 1 start in his 1st 2 seasons, contributing mostly on special teams.
In 2019, he had his best season in Minnesota, since he led the Vikings' special teams with 18 in 2018, as he amassed 19 tackles and one interception.
According to CBS Sports, Kearse is expected to fill a special teams role and backup, as he did in Minnesota.
"The 2016 seventh-round pick primarily served as a backup safety and slot corner during his four seasons in Minnesota, playing more snaps on special teams than on defense in every season until 2019. The Lions likely envision Kearse in a similar role, as Tracy Walker and Duron Harmon are expected to start at safety. Kearse should have plenty of time to recover from the knee and toe injuries that held him out of Minnesota's playoff loss to the 49ers."
Needless to say a fresh-start was needed by Kearse, as he never lived up to the hype that he left the Clemson program with.
