What a market-resetting extension for Kerby Joseph could look like for Lions
Allen Park — If you haven’t figured it out by now, the cornerstone of the Detroit Lions’ roster-building strategy during the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell era has been draft, develop and re-sign.
With Holmes’ first draft class, the team has re-upped with five of the selections, including top-of-the-market deals for a trio from that group: Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Alim McNeill. Derrick Barnes isn’t doing too badly, either, with a fresh three-year, $24 million pact.
Now, it’s time for the team to take care of its 2022 class. To be clear, the team has a little more time with edge defender Aidan Hutchinson and wide receiver Jameson Williams, holding fifth-year options on their rookie contracts as first-round picks.
There’s more urgency with safety Kerby Joseph — a first-team All-Pro in 2024 — as he enters the final year of his deal. Here’s what Holmes had to say about a possible extension with the star defensive back in January.
“That’s on the docket, in terms of to be looked at and discussed,” Holmes said. “We know where he’s at from an eligibility (standpoint). Look, he’s an All-Pro player. I mean, I don’t know how you don’t make the Pro Bowl with nine interceptions, whatever that is, but he’s an All-Pro player, and he’s been — he’s another one that’s gotten better and better. He’s one that has proven that he’s a Detroit Lion.
“He fits,” Holmes said. “He fits our culture. It’s hard to find ballhawk guys that will tackle like how he does, and I think that’s what makes him unique. Again, we haven’t had any intense dialogue about that yet, but, obviously, we want to keep the good players here.”
Joseph, a third-round pick out of Illinois in 2022, was pushed into the starting lineup earlier than expected after Tracy Walker suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 3 of Joseph’s rookie campaign.
Almost immediately, he revealed his playmaking potential. As a rookie, Joseph tallied four interceptions and two forced fumbles. He followed that up with another four interceptions in 2023 before exploding for a league-leading nine last season.
Beyond the takeaways, Joseph made noticeable and significant improvements in his risk-taking and tackling. He reduced the receiving yards he allowed when targeted by more than half and slashed his missed tackle rate from 15.0% to 6.3% from 2023 to 2024.