Highlights
- Pro Bowl special teamer Jalen Reeves-Maybin got the highest contract for a core special teams player in NFL history.
- Reeves-Maybin provided value both on special teams as a tackler and on defense with a sack and two passes defended.
- The Lions anticipate Reeves-Maybin will serve as a backup linebacker while continuing to contribute on special teams, with the contract offering significant guaranteed money.
Special teamer Jalen Reeves-Maybin had a breakout year for 2023’s surging Detroit Lions team. According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the franchise is rewarding Reeves-Maybin by making him the highest-paid core special teams player in NFL history.
Reeves-Maybin was drafted by the Lions as a linebacker in 2017 and spent his first five seasons in Detroit. He signed with the Houston Texans in 2022 before returning to the Lions in 2023. He will now be with the team for at least a couple more seasons as they chase the franchise’s elusive first Super Bowl.
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Special teamer made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro Team in 2023
Reeves-Maybin excelled in kick coverage and on fake punts
An inside linebacker by trade, Reeves-Maybin has had seasons where he played hundreds of defensive snaps, but in 2023, he only tallied 92. However, he did provide some value on defense with a sack, a tackle for loss, and two passes defended.
The Lions expected Reeves-Maybin to be a backup linebacker and provide most of his value on special teams, and that is exactly what he did. The Tennessee product was on the field for 82% of the team’s special teams snaps, and his 14 special teams tackles tied him for the league lead and earned him Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro distinction.
Dan Campbell is known as one of the most aggressive coaches in the league, and Reeves-Maybin was involved in multiple fourth-down trick plays this season. During their Week 1 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Reeves-Maybin was the ball carrier on a fake punt deep in the Lions’ own territory. He gained 12 yards and the first down, vindicating Campbell for his gamble.
Reeves-Maybin also had a key play in the Lions’ Week 17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Detroit again ran a fake punt deep in its own territory. This time, the special teamer threw the ball rather than running it, completing a 31-yard pass to Khalil Dorsey to move the chains.
The special teamer’s new contract isn’t just the biggest ever for a core special teams player: according to Garafolo, the guaranteed money included (~$5.3 million) and the signing bonus ($2.5 million) are also the most ever for a core special teams player.
Source: Mike Garafolo
All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract figures courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise noted.
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