Lions Clips
The Lions have replaced running back David Montgomery, who will officially be traded on Wednesday to the Texans.
Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, the Lions have agreed to terms with former Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco.
Pacheco, a seventh-round pick in 2022, has appeared in 51 regular-season games with 42 starts. Once the Chiefs agreed to terms with running back Kenneth Walker III, Pacheco’s return to the Chiefs became highly unlikely.
He had a career-high 935 rushing yards in 2023. Last year, he gained only 462 rushing yards in 13 games, with 12 starts. Still, he runs with an intensity that will help move the sticks between the tackles.
In Detroit, Pacheco will become the clear No. 2 to emerging star Jahmyr Gibbs, and insurance in the event Gibbs is injured.
Terms have not yet been reported. Whatever the deal is worth, Gibbs is likely to get a contract before the season begins that will put him at the top of the market.
Gibbs shouldn’t set foot on the practice field until he gets a new deal.
Wide receiver Kalif Raymond is joining back up with Ben Johnson.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Raymond has agreed to a one-year deal with the Bears. Raymond played for Johnson when the Bears head coach was the offensive coordinator in Detroit. Bears wide receivers coach Antwan Randle-El also held the same job in Detroit before joining Johnson in making the jump to Chicago last year.
Raymond bounced around the league before joining the Lions in 2021 and spending the last five seasons with the team. He had 171 catches for 2,185 yards and seven touchdowns during that run.
The Lions also used Raymond as a returner and he had three punt return touchdowns as a member of the team.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone was one of the players to land a job with a new team after the free agent negotiating window opened on Monday.
Anzalone agreed to sign a two-year deal with the Buccaneers after spending the last five seasons with the Lions. In a farewell message posted to Instagram, Anzalone suggested that his first choice wasn’t to move on from Detroit.
“The business side of football doesn’t always line up with exactly how things should go,” Anzalone wrote. “Contracts end, decisions are made and sometimes paths diverge. It’s bittersweet, no doubt. I leave with nothing but appreciation.”
Running back David Montgomery, left tackle Taylor Decker, defensive lineman Roy Lopez, quarterback Kyle Allen, and cornerback Amik Robertson are other Lions set to move on to other teams for the 2026 season. All of the moves signal a bigger shift away from the Lions team that made a run to the NFC Championship Game after the 2023 season and the success of the revamped roster in 2026 will determine whether even more sweeping changes are in store in Detroit.
Quarterback Kyle Allen is signing a two-year, $4.1 million deal with the Bills, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Allen has another $2 million in incentives in the contract.
Allen will reunite with his close friend, Josh Allen, after spending the 2023 season as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo.
Kyle Allen, 30, was Jared Goff’s backup with the Lions last season. He appeared in only three games and threw only two passes.
He has not started a game since 2022 with the Texans but has appeared in 34 games, with 19 starts, in his career.
Allen has also spent time in Carolina, Washington and Pittsburgh in addition to his stops in Buffalo, Houston and Detroit.
In his career, he has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 4,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
Defensive lineman Roy Lopez is heading back to Arizona.
NFL Media reports that Lopez has agreed to sign with the Cardinals as a free agent. It is a two-year, $11.5 million deal with $7 million in guaranteed money.
Lopez played for the Cardinals in 2023 and 2024 before signing with the Lions last year. Nick Rallis was the Arizona defensive coordinator in those seasons and he remained with the team through the head coaching change that saw Mike LaFleur replace Jonathan Gannon.
Lopez had 30 tackles and two sacks in 17 games for the Lions last season. He had 70 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery during his first stint with the Cardinals.
When the Lions recently released veteran left tackle Taylor Decker, the natural conclusion was that right tackle Penei Sewell would move from the right side to the left side. One of Monday’s deals seems to confirm it.
As noted by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the signing of former Dolphins tackle Larry Borom points to Borom becoming the new right tackle, with Sewell flipping to left tackle.
Borom started 11 games at right tackle for the Dolphins in 2025.
Birkett projects the starting offensive line to feature Sewell at left tackle, Christian Mahogany at left guard, Cade Mays at center, Tate Ratledge at right guard, and Larry Borom at right tackle.
Sewell, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, is signed through 2029. He has an average salary of $28 million per year.
The Lions have agreed to terms with offensive tackle Larry Borom, NFL Media reports.
The terms of the deal were undisclosed.
Borom, 27, spent last season with the Dolphins after signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal. The right tackle started 11 games for the Dolphins and saw action in five others.
The Bears made him a fifth-round pick in 2021, and he spent his first four seasons in Chicago. He made 27 starts and played 20 other games for the team.
The Lions have also added center Juice Scruggs and center Cade Mays this offseason as they rebuild their offensive line.
As the Lions look to re-tool their offensive line this offseason, they have found a new center.
According to multiple reports, Detroit has agreed to sign Cade Mays to a three-year contract.
Initial reports indicate Mays’ deal is worth $25 million with $14 million guaranteed.
Mays, 26, started 12 games for the Panthers in 2025. He was a Carolina sixth-round pick in 2022, appearing in 11 game with two starts as a rookie and 16 games with five starts in 2023.
While Mays was waived during roster cuts in 2024 and spent some time with the Giants, he returned to the Panthers in October of that season. He ended up appearing in 11 games with eight starts for Carolina before sticking with the team as a restricted free agent last offseason.
Mays will now head to the Lions, who are looking for a more permanent replacement for former center Frank Ragnow, who retired last offseason. The club will also need to replace Taylor Decker at left tackle.
The Commanders are adding to their secondary.
According to multiple reports, Amik Robertson has agreed to a two-year deal with Washington.
The initial reports indicate Robertson’s deal is worth $16 million with $9.3 million guaranteed.
Robertson, 27, spent the last two seasons with Detroit. He appeared in 17 games with 10 starts in 2025, recording 52 total tackles with 12 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and an interception.
A Raiders fourth-round pick in 2020, Robertson has played 86 career games with 35 starts, recording 35 passes defensed with five interceptions. He has not missed a game since 2021.
The Buccaneers have landed a new linebacker.
According to multiple reports, they have agreed to terms on a contract with Alex Anzalone. It is a two-year pact worth $17 million for Anzalone.
Anzalone spent the last five seasons with the Lions and entered the league as a 2017 third-round pick in New Orleans. He was a starter for his entire run in Detroit and capped his time with the NFC North club by recording 95 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and nine passes defensed during the 2025 season.
The Bucs have longtime defensive centerpiece Lavonte David set for free agency and the Anzalone signing could signal the start of more significant changes on defense in Tampa.
