With Calvin Johnson retiring, the Detroit Lions added the top wide receiver set to hit the free agent market.
Marvin Jones will sign with Detroit when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The five-year deal is for $40 million and includes $20 million in guarantees -- $17 million of which is fully guaranteed, a source told Rapoport. Jones is slated to make $27 million through the first three years, Rapoport added.
ESPN first reported the news.
The 6-foot-2 receiver is a good combination of size, downfield speed, route running and run-after-the-catch ability. After missing all of 2014 due to injury, Jones caught 65 passes for 816 yards and four touchdowns in 2015.
At $8 million per year -- depending on what the guaranteed number boils down to -- Jones will be the highest-paid receiver on the Lions roster, coming in above the $6.2 million average Golden Tate earns. Jones' contract would sit in the Torrey Smith/DeSean Jackson range.
Jones owns the ability to make spectacular athletic plays and tough catches, which landed him on Around The NFL's "Making the Leap" list two years ago.
Make no mistake: Jones will not replace Megatron. No one could do that.
He's not a No. 1 wideout on his own, however, the 25-year-old Jones could become a good pairing with Tate in a 1A and 1B situation. Detroit should also be expected to add a wideout in the middle rounds of the NFL draft.
Bob Quinn's first big addition as general manager was to give Matthew Stafford a pass-catching weapon the day after he lost the greatest one in team history.
UPDATE: Jones has signed with the Lions, the team announced Thursday.
