Lions trade DE George Johnson to Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired defensive end George Johnsonin a trade with the Detroit Lions on Wednesday.
Johnson, a restricted free agent, had signed a three-year, $9 million deal with the Buccaneers last week, but the Lions protested the deal before ultimately dropping their grievance. The two teams swapped draft picks, with Tampa Bay sending the second of its two fifth-round picks (No. 168 overall) to Detroit, which sent back the first of its two seventh-round picks (No. 231 overall).
• 2015 NFL Mock Draft 6.0: Projecting the first and second round
The 27-year-old Johnson had 6.0 sacks and 29 combined tackles last season for the Lions. He played the first season-and-a-half of his career with the Buccaneers in 2011 and 2012.
Last season, Tampa Bay finished No. 25 in scoring defense and No. 25 in yards allowed. The Buccaneers have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft.
The Lions finished No. 2 in yards allowed and No. 3 in points allowed last season. Johnson is the latest member of Detroit's defensive line to leave this offseason, following defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.
• Report: Jameis Winston scores 27 out of 50 on Wonderlic
- Paul Palladino
