
#55 LB · Detroit Lions
Height
6'0"
Weight
240 lbs
Age
26
College
Purdue
Draft
Undrafted
Experience
5 yrs
LB Rank
#52 / 349
Grade this player:
| Year | Team | GP | Tkl | Sacks | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | ![]() | 68 | 283 | 8.0 | 1 |
| 2025 | ![]() | 17 | 78 | 4.0 | 1 |
| 2024 | ![]() | 3 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | ![]() | 16 |
Length
3 years
Total Value
$24.0M
Guaranteed
$16.0M
AAV
$8.0M/yr
Detroit made a shrewd move locking up Derrick Barnes with this three-year, $24M extension that earns a solid B- CVI grade. At $8M per year, the Lions are paying above-average starter money for what has been serviceable starter production, but the timing and structure make this a smart investment. Barnes is entering his prime years as a linebacker, and Detroit is betting on continued development within their defensive system where he's shown steady improvement since being drafted. The $16M in guaranteed money provides reasonable security without handcuffing the franchise, while the three-year term gives both sides flexibility as Barnes looks to elevate his game to the next level. For a Lions defense that has found its identity, keeping a reliable veteran presence like Barnes at a fair market rate prevents a potential hole in the lineup and maintains defensive continuity.
Derrick Barnes profiles as a solid starter at linebacker — functional, versatile, and durable, but not the kind of impact defender who reshapes a defense's identity. His best calling card this season is his pass-rush production: four sacks from the linebacker position is legitimate value, punctuated by the kind of splash moment — a sack-safety on Jake Browning in Week 5 — that earns a player a national television spot and a reputation as a playmaker. The weakness, however, is that the overall production profile doesn't fully justify a $8M AAV investment when the statistical floor beyond those sacks is relatively modest for a 17-game starter. His 78 tackles confirm he's on the field and accountable, but a five-year veteran at 26 carrying a contract of that size needs to do more than log snaps and generate occasional pressure to be considered genuinely above-average at the position. The media framing around Barnes is genuinely favorable — multiple linebacker roles, veteran leadership, national appearances — but as the sentimentContext makes clear, his reputation is currently running ahead of his production, a gap that becomes harder to ignore as the Lions face a crowded 2026 linebacker free agency class. At this stage of his career, Barnes reads as a reliable depth piece elevated into a starting role, and while that carries real organizational value, his current Performance grade reflects exactly that ceiling.
No transactions found for this player.
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| 81 |
| 1.0 |
| 0 |
| 2022 | ![]() | 15 | 47 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | ![]() | 17 | 67 | 2.0 | 0 |
Updated Mar 19, 2026
Recent seasons are weighted more heavily in the overall performance grade.
C-
2025
(50% weight)
C
2024
(30% weight)
B
2023
(20% weight)