Winner: Rick Wagner sets market in deal with Lions
The Detroit Lions made a big early move on Wednesday. The franchise reportedly landed highly coveted right tackle Rick Wagner on a long-term deal that will pay him around $9 million per season (more on that here).
The deal sets the market for offensive linemen this offseason, and we expect to see some other players landing similarly-priced contracts in the coming days.
Wagner has been a starter for the Baltimore Ravens the past three seasons, and a darn good one at that. He was allowed to hit free agency because Ozzie Newsome knew he couldn’t pay him what he wanted.
Detroit had an opening at the position as right tackle Riley Reiff played out the final year of his rookie deal in 2016 as well. While Reiff isn’t a slouch, there is no doubt the Lions are getting an upgrade here.