Too often, we judge a signing only by talent level and fit. But one of the bigger parts of free agency is finding value. Contract terms can be both telling about how the team views a new player and how good an addition they are. If a player is signed with no guaranteed money, you can probably bet that player is going to have to fight for a roster spot by the start of the season. If a player gets a lot of guaranteed money or a high salary, they’re likely to at least play a role on the team.
And for
a team like the Detroit Lions, value is everything in free agency. With a very talented—and also very expensive—core of players, the Lions clearly went into free agency with a primary goal in mind: let’s find some talented players at affordable prices.
When signing initially happen, they’re often reported with incomplete or downright misleading contract details. But a couple weeks in, most of the Lions’ free agent signing contract details are in (you can see a lot of them here). With that in mind, today’s Question of the Day is:
What was the Lions’ best value signing in free agency?
My answer: On Saturday, I broke down three very good value contracts at skill positions, and I’m still a little shocked they were able to sign veteran tight end Tyler Conklin to a deal that costs Detroit just $1.075 million in cap space. While 2025 was a bad year for him, he had four consecutive very productive seasons prior to that, and at 30 years old, I believe there’s still plenty left in his tank.
There’s also Malcolm Rodriguez’s contract that utilizes the “Four-Year Player Qualifying Contract,” lowering his cap hit to just $1.4 million while paying him nearly double that.
But my favorite contract the Lions have handed out so far may be the one they gave defensive back Roger McCreary. Typically, a 26-year-old player with 38 starts, a former second-round pick, and the versatility to play both cornerback and safety would draw a pretty considerable contract. Instead, the Lions got him on a one-year, $1.4 million deal that counts just under $1.3 million against the cap.
That would make you think the player is not all that good, but he still has a relatively good reputation. The Titans only traded him at the deadline because they were in fire sale mode, and he wasn’t the best fit under their new defensive scheme. When he went to the Rams, McCreary played a key part in their playoff run, playing 71 defensive snaps over three games and allowing just two catches for 14 yards when targeted.
A willing run defender, a potential nickel and safety replacement, who is still in the prime of his career and can contribute on special teams—all for essentially the veteran minimum? I still don’t know how Brad Holmes got away with this one.
Which Lions free agency contract do you believe was the best value? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
