NFL Boilers: Detroit Lions Ink LB Derrick Barnes to Lucrative Contract Extension
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Derrick Barnes will continue to be a key piece of the Detroit Lions defense. On Friday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the former Purdue linebacker has agreed to a lucrative contract extension that will keep him in the Motor City.
Per the report, the Lions and Barnes agreed to a three-year extension worth $25.5 million. which includes $16 million in fully guaranteed money. The linebacker will be entering his fifth NFL season in 2025.
The #Lions have agreed to a 3-year $25.5M extension for Derrick Barnes, a key part of their defense. $16M of the deal is fully guaranteed on signing, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2025
Deal done by agents Brian Mackler and Jon Perzley of @SPORTSTARSNYC. pic.twitter.com/jv8nrjrUwv
Barnes saw action in just three games for Detroit during the 2024 campaign, suffering from a knee injury that kept him sidelined most of the year. He was responsible for eight tackles and a pass defended.
Barnes has played a pivotal role in Detroit's defense in the previous three seasons, however. He's racked up 205 career tackles, 26 stuffs, four sacks, four passes defended and a forced fumble. The former Boiler's most productive year came in 2023, accounting for 81 total tackles and 11.5 stuffs.
Prior to his arrival in Detroit, Barnes spent four seasons at Purdue (2017-20). He tallied 225 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. In 2020, he was a second-team All-Big Ten selection at linebacker.
Detroit selected Barnes in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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