Derrick Barnes

Career StatsC

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

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

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.

Performance Analysis

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.