The Detroit Lions have started to take care of their own. According to Ian Rapoport, the Lions have re-signed linebacker Derrick Barnes to a three-year, $25.5 million deal, including $16 million guaranteed.

It’s a significant contract for Barnes, who the Lions drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Barnes’ career started as a reserve player, but he slowly worked his way up to being a significant contributor on defense. In 2023, he largely held off rookie Jack Campbell for most of the season. Then, in 2024, the Lions found the unique SAM linebacker role for Barnes, where he served as both an edge defender and off-ball linebacker.

Barnes started off the season well, but unfortunately, he suffered a torn PCL and MCL in Week 3 and missed the rest of the season.

Detroit now has their linebacker group locked down for the foreseeable future. Campbell’s rookie deal runs through 2026 (with a fifth-year option in 2027), Barnes is signed now through 2027, and Alex Anzalone is entering the final year of his deal. Other linebackers currently under contract include Malcolm Rodriguez (expires after 2025), Abraham Beauplan (futures contract), and DaRon Gilbert (futures contract). The Lions are expected to release Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

You can follow along with all the Lions’ free agency moves with our 2025 Detroit Lions offseason tracker. You can also look at the Lions’ depth chart and contracts with our 2025 contract tracker.

Congratulations to Barnes on his new deal. It’s an inspirational story to see his career come such a long way in just four years.