Lions Re-Signings: Bryson, Drummond, Kalimba, Holt, Backus (Updated)

[JS]

Lions Sign Unrestricted Free Agents S Vernon Fox, C Brock Gutierrez, and LB Nate Wayne and Free Agent G Tyrone Hopson

April 11, 2006

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions announced today that they have re-signed unrestricted free agents S Vernon Fox, C Brock Gutierrez and LB Nate Wayne and free agent G Tyrone Hopson to one-year deals. Additional contract terms were not disclosed.

Fox (5-10, 200) enters his third season with Detroit as a proven and valuable special teams player as well as a reliable backup safety. He was voted as a special teams captain (tied with Donté Curry and Wali Rainer) by his teammates at the end of the 2005 season for his tough and consistent play in addition to his leadership on and off the field. Fox finished last season third in special teams tackles despite missing two games due to injury.

In 2004, Fox played 14 games for the Lions and contributed nine special teams tackles after being claimed off waivers September 14, released September 18 and then re-signed to the active roster September 22.

San Diego signed Fox as an undrafted free agent April 26, 2002. In two seasons with the Chargers, he played in 28 games (five starts) and garnered 45 tackles (35 solo), one interception and five pass defenses. Fox was a two time All-Western Athletic Conference first-team selection at Fresno State.

Gutierrez (6-3, 304) returns for another season with the Lions after seeing action in all 16 games for Detroit last season. He originally signed with Detroit June 8, 2005 after spending the previous two seasons with the 49ers. He was the starting center for San Francisco and played in all 16 games in 2004.

During his nine NFL seasons, Gutierrez has played in 114 games (23 starts) and has been a steady contributor on special teams while providing solid depth along the offensive line. He entered the league with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996, where he played through the 2002 season.

As a collegian at Central Michigan, Gutierrez started at center for three seasons and earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors as a senior in 1995. He attended Charlotte (Mich.) H.S. and earned all-state honors in wrestling and football.

Wayne (6-0, 237) enters his ninth NFL season, his second in Detroit, after first joining the Lions midway through the 2005 season. He played in five games last season, finishing with 21 tackles (11 solo), a sack, a forced fumble and an interception which he returned 20 yards. Wayne was inactive for the final two games of the season due to an ankle injury. He joined the Lions following his release from the Jacksonville Jaguars September 3.

After being waived by the Philadelphia Eagles where he spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Wayne signed with the Jaguars May 16. In seven NFL seasons, he has played in 85 games (started in 63), tallied 545 total tackles (352 solos) and collected 16 sacks.

In 2004, Wayne played in nine games with the Eagles and started seven. In those nine games, he totaled 38 tackles (25 solo), forced two fumbles and had one sack. In 2003, he posted a career-high in total tackles (135).

Wayne also brings a significant amount of post-season experience to the club, having played in eight playoff games (started in six) during his career. During the 2004 NFL Playoffs, he tallied four tackles, a half sack, and started against the Minnesota Vikings in the 2005 NFC Divisional game and saw action in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Prior to his stint with the Eagles, Wayne played in Denver (1998-99) and Green Bay (2000-02) where he totaled a career-high in sacks (5.5) with the Packers during the 2001 season.

The Chicago, Ill., native served as a two-year starter at the University of Mississippi where he recorded 293 tackles, 8.5 sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

Hopson (6-2, 300) rejoins the team after spending the 2004 season and parts of the 2005 season with Detroit. He was on the Lions active roster for four games last season after spending the preseason participating in the team's training camp.

In 2004, he played in 11 games for Detroit and helped clear the way for Pro Bowl KR Eddie Drummond as a member of the wedge unit on kickoff returns. Hopson also saw action at right guard in the season finale at Tennessee (1/2/05).

Hopson originally joined the Lions practice squad October 31, 2001 and finished the final three games of that season on the active roster. He played eight games in 2002 and spent the 2003 preseason with Detroit before being release August 31.

Prior to joining the Lions, Hopson spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers who drafted him in the fifth round (161 overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft out of Eastern Kentucky. He saw action in four games, with one start, during his two-year stint in San Francisco.

http://www.detroitlions.com/press_re...&top=1&level=2

[H1Man]

Since they were all one-year deals, I assume that they were for the veteran's minimum and thus will have very little effect on the salary cap.

[H1Man]

Lions Re-Sign Restricted Free Agent FS Terrence Holt to a One-Year Deal

The Detroit Lions announced today that they have re-signed restricted free agent FS Terrence Holt to a one-year deal. No additional contract terms were disclosed.

Holt (6-2, 208) enters his fourth season with the Lions who drafted him in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He entered last season as Detroit’s starting free safety and started 10 games before being put on the reserve/injured list December 7, 2005 due to an elbow injury. Holt finished the 2005 campaign with a career-high 44 tackles (34 solo), two interceptions (51 yds) a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

In 2004, Holt played all 16 games as a reserve defensive back while making a solid contribution on special teams. He finished third with 17 special teams tackles.

As a rookie in 2003, Holt had three interceptions which was tied for the second-most among NFL rookies and the most by a Lions’ rookie since Devon Mitchell had five in 1986. He was inactive for the first five games of the season before making his pro debut vs. Dallas (10/19). Holt started the final two games, at Carolina (12/21) and vs. St. Louis (12/28), at strong safety due to injuries. In his first career start against the Panthers, he had an interception and a career-high 10 tackles (seven solo).

Holt racked up 315 tackles (195 solos), 11 stops for loss, 20 passes defensed and 13 blocked kicks in 48 games at North Carolina State while starting every game from 2000-02. The North Carolina native earned second-team All-American accolades as a senior in 2002 by the NFL Draft Report, College Football News and the Associated Press in addition to being a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference choice, a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award (nation’s top defensive back) and a finalist for the Mosi Tatupu Award (nation’s top special teams performer).

As a junior in 2001, Holt blocked four field goals, tying the NCAA season-record set by Hawaii’s Mike Akiu in 1982. He was named first-team All-ACC after a career-high 104 tackles (62 solos).

Holt was a three-year all-conference performer at East Guilford High in North Carolina. He is the younger brother of former All-American and current St. Louis Rams wide receiver Torry Holt.

http://www.detroitlions.com/document...ment_id=444422

[H1Man]

Lions Re-Sign DE Redding and TE FitzSimmons

The Detroit Lions announced today that they have re-signed restricted free agents TE Casey FitzSimmons and DE Cory Redding to one-year deals. No additional contract terms were disclosed.

FitzSimmons (6-4, 258) enters his fourth season in Detroit where he began his NFL career as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2003. Last season, FitzSimmons played in 14 games with two starts and had 10 receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. He also was a primary contributor on special teams, finishing fourth on the team with a career-high 19 tackles.

As a rookie in 2003, FitzSimmons had his most productive season, playing in all 16 games. He started 11 games due to injuries and set career highs with 23 receptions and two touchdowns. FitzSimmons also had 17 special teams tackles. He also played in all 16 games in 2004 with three starts.

FitzSimmons played collegiately at Carroll College in Montana and registered 244 receptions for 2,698 yards and 21 touchdowns. As a senior, he helped the Fighting Saints to the 2002 NAIA National Championship and finished with a career-best 79 receptions for 971 yards and six touchdowns. FitzSimmons also garnered first-team All-American honors and was named the Frontier Conference MVP as well as a finalist for NAIA Player of the Year Award.

In high school, FitzSimmons played eight-man football at Chester (Mont.) High School. He played four positions: wide receiver, tight end, defensive end and linebacker.

Redding (6-4, 295) will be playing his fourth season with the Lions who drafted him in the third-round (66th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. In 2005, Redding played and started in all 16 games at left defensive end and set a career-high with 42 tackles (29 solo).

In 2004, Redding emerged as the starter at left defensive end prior to the season and started all 16 games. He finished his first full season as a starter with 41 tackles (37 solo) and a career-high 3.0 sacks. Redding also forced a safety at Minnesota (11/21) when he tackled Vikings RB Onterrio Smith in the end zone.

Redding missed the first two games of his rookie campaign in 2003 due to a leg injury suffered during the preseason. He went in and out of the lineup following his return, seeing time at both defensive end and tackle along with special teams. Redding’s playing time increased towards the end of the season with his most significant contribution coming in the Lions game at Kansas City (12/14) where he had a season-high four tackles (three solo).

During his four-year career at Texas, Redding was a two-time All-Big 12 Conference selection and played in every game, including a string of 35 consecutive starts on the defensive line. He finished his collegiate career with 201 tackles (123 solos), 21 sacks (174 yards) and 53 stops (third on the school’s career-record list) for losses of 249 yards.

As a senior in 1998 at North Shore High in Houston, he was named USA Today’s Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American choice. That season he accumulated 215 tackles (103 solos), 15 sacks and 22 stops for losses. Redding was Parade’s top linebacker in the nation as well as an Associated Press first-team All-State selection and the Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year. He also won state titles in the discus as a junior and senior.

http://www.detroitlions.com/press_re...&top=1&level=2

[H1Man]

Lions Re-Sign Exclusive Rights FA RB Pinner; Release Wayne

The Detroit Lions announced today that they have re-signed exclusive rights free agent RB Artose Pinner.Additional contract terms were not disclosed. The team also released LB Nate Wayne.

Pinner (5-10, 232) enters his fourth season with the Lions who originally drafted him in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. Last season he carried the ball a career-high 106 times and finished with career bests in rushing yards (349), receptions (21), receiving yards (181) and touchdowns (3) while playing in all 16 games with two starts.

After missing most of his rookie season while recovering from a leg injury suffered in the 2003 Senior Bowl, Pinner played in the final three games of the 2003 season and started two. He began to emerge as a regular contributor during the 2004 season when he played in nine games and started two in place of an injured Kevin Jones. Pinner finished his second season with 174 yards and his first two career touchdowns.

At the University of Kentucky, Pinner started 14 of 34 games and ran for over 100 yards 11 times. He rushed for 2,105 yards and 17 touchdowns on 438 attempts (4.8 avg) and totaled 407 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 58 receptions during his career with the Wildcats.

Pinner attended Hopkinsville (Ky.) High School, where he rushed for 5,829 yards on 704 carries (8.3 avg) and 68 touchdowns as the starting running back his junior and senior seasons. He was named the Class AAA State Player of the Year as a senior after rushing 361 times for 3,274 yards and 33 touchdowns, which also earned him honorable mention All-American by USA Today.

Wayne (6-0, 237) resigned with Detroit April 11 after first joining the Lions midway through the 2005 season. He played in five games last season, finishing with 21 tackles (11 solo), a sack, a forced fumble and an interception which he returned 20 yards. Wayne was inactive for the final two games of the season due to an ankle injury. He joined the Lions following his release from the Jacksonville Jaguars September 3.

After being waived by the Philadelphia Eagles where he spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Wayne signed with the Jaguars May 16. In seven NFL seasons, he has played in 85 games (started in 63), tallied 545 total tackles (352 solos) and collected 16 sacks.

In 2004, Wayne played in nine games with the Eagles and started seven. In those nine games, he totaled 38 tackles (25 solo), forced two fumbles and had one sack. In 2003, he posted a career-high in total tackles (135).

Wayne also brings a significant amount of post-season experience to the club, having played in eight playoff games (started in six) during his career. During the 2004 NFL Playoffs, he tallied four tackles, a half sack, and started against the Minnesota Vikings in the 2005 NFC Divisional game and saw action in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Prior to his stint with the Eagles, Wayne played in Denver (1998-99) and Green Bay (2000-02) where he totaled a career-high in sacks (5.5) with the Packers during the 2001 season.

The Chicago, Ill., native served as a two-year starter at the University of Mississippi where he recorded 293 tackles, 8.5 sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

http://www.detroitlions.com/press_re...&top=1&level=2

[Glenn]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2445692

Lions re-sign Backus, agree not to tag him in '07

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Five-year veteran tackle Jeff Backus, arguably the Detroit Lions' best offensive lineman and the lone franchise player without a consummated deal, on Monday signed the one-year qualifying offer to remain with the team for 2006, ESPN.com has learned.

The one-year deal carries a base salary of $6.983 million but, almost as important, the Lions stipulated as part of the contract that they cannot use the franchise marker on Backus again next spring. The stipulation, which is in writing, means that without a long-term extension, Backus will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season.

It's believed that Backus, if he gets onto the open market, will be among the most coveted veterans in the 2007 unrestricted free agent pool. Lions officials clearly felt that the tradeoff, along with the potential to still strike a long-term contract before Backus becomes a free agent, was worth it to get the former first-round draft choice involved in the team's offseason program under first-year coach Rod Marinelli.

Because he did not have a contract, Backus was technically precluded from participating in team activities, and the former University of Michigan star has been working out in Ann Arbor in recent weeks. The two sides met last Monday but made no progress toward a long-term deal and clearly there is disagreement over where Backus ranks among premier left tackles.

Rather than allow the situation to linger, the Lions decided to propose that they would not use the franchise tag on Backus again, and that was more than enough motivation to have him sign the one-year offer.

"Both sides have agreed to work diligently toward a long-term deal and that's the intention," agent Pat Dye Jr. said on Monday morning. "They made it clear they want to keep Jeff and Jeff likes playing there. So we'll keep at it and see what happens."

The team's first-round choice in the 2001 draft, Backus has never missed a game, and has started in all 80 contests in which he appeared. ESPN.com reported last Friday in the Tip Sheet column that Backus played the final 11 games of the 2005 season with an ankle sprain so severe that it required offseason surgery to clean out some bone fragments.

Backus, 28, will join the Lions for workouts this week and his presence will allow veteran offensive line coach Larry Beightol, a key member of Marinelli's staff, to begin reshaping the unit.

There were only three veterans designated as franchise players this spring. Defensive end John Abraham was traded from the New York Jets to Atlanta and signed a six-year, $45 million contract with the Falcons to facilitate the swap. Cornerback Nate Clements signed the one-year qualifying offer with the Buffalo Bills last week, prompted by the club's promise it won't use the franchise tag on him again next spring.

[H1Man]

$7M for an average LT?

[H1Man]

Lions | No tags in 2007 for Backus
Thu, 18 May 2006 06:21:25 -0700

Mike O'Hara, of the Detroit News, reports the Detroit Lions have assured OT Jeff Backus they will not use the transition tag on him in 2007, in addition to the franchise tag said Tom Lewand, the Lions' chief operating officer. The franchise and transition tags limit a free agent's ability to get offers from other teams.

While I am not a big fan of Backus, not being able to use the franchise or transition tags will severely hamper the Lions next season when it comes to contract negotiations.

[Varsity]

Backus locked up...

Backus signs 6-year deal
Detroit Lions left tackle Jeff Backus signed a six-year contract Thursday which will pay him an estimated $15 million in guaranteed money. Backus, who was tagged as the team's franchise player, could've opted for a one-year, $6.9 million deal.

[Jethro34]

Here's more on the signing, from ESPN

Battling against a Friday 4 p.m. ET deadline, the Detroit Lions have signed standout offensive tackle Jeff Backus to a new six-year contract, ESPN.com has learned.

The contract, negotiated by agent Pat Dye Jr., is worth nearly $40 million and includes about $16 million in bonuses. The deal makes Backus -- who had been designated a franchise player at the outset of the free agency period -- the sixth-highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. He also becomes the highest-paid lineman who has never appeared in a Pro Bowl game.

In mid-May, Backus signed the one-year qualifying offer for a franchise offensive lineman, which carried a base salary of $6.983 million for 2006. But almost as important, the Lions stipulated as part of that contract that they could not use the franchise marker on Backus again next spring. The stipulation, which was in writing, meant that without a long-term extension, Backus would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season.

The contract signed on Thursday replaces the one-year deal and was negotiated against the backdrop of the deadline. According to the interpretation of the NFL Management Council, any contract completed with Backus after the close of business on Friday afternoon would have attached the franchise designation to him for the entire length of the deal. The Lions now gain back the franchise marker and, if necessary, can use it on another player in the future.

"Certainly, Jeff could have gone into free agency after this season, and tested the market, and perhaps gotten an even better deal," Dye said Thursday evening. "But at the end of the day, we're talking about a guy who played at Michigan, who really wanted to stay with the Lions and be a part of rebuilding that team, and who knows now where he's going to be playing for the next six seasons. And credit Lions officials, too, for showing extraordinary commitment to get this done."

Dye said part of his client's motivation, as well, was the strong impression that first-year head coach Rod Marinelli, offensive coordinator Mike Martz and offensive line coach Larry Beightol have already made on him in a short time.

Backus celebrated the new contract by closing on a new home Thursday afternoon.

It is believed that had Backus gone into the open market next spring, he would have been among the most coveted veterans in the 2007 unrestricted free-agent pool. Lions officials clearly felt that the tradeoff, along with the potential to still strike a long-term contract before Backus became a free agent, was worth it to get the former first-round draft choice involved in the team's offseason program under Marinelli.

The two sides agreed at the time to continue working toward a long-term extension, and the talks accelerated this week.

The team's first-round choice in the 2001 draft, Backus has never missed a game, and the former University of Michigan standout has started in all 80 contests in which he's appeared. Backus played the final 11 games of the 2005 season with an ankle sprain so severe that it required offseason surgery to clean out some bone fragments.

Backus, 28, is regarded as one of the NFL's top pass protectors and is a key to a unit that is being revamped under Beightol.

There were only three veterans designated as franchise players this spring. Defensive end John Abraham was traded from the New York Jets to Atlanta and signed a six-year, $45 million contract with the Falcons to facilitate the swap. Cornerback Nate Clements signed the one-year qualifying offer with the Buffalo Bills, prompted by the club's promise that it won't use the franchise tag on him again next spring.