We are just days away from the 2025 NFL Draft, and we'll soon find out what the Detroit Lions plan to do after months of scouting. The Lions could be doing something very big before that, and it could be an extension for All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph. That could be happening any day now.
Last year, the Lions did two big extensions for Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell the day before the 2024 NFL Draft. That might be the route they go this year, too.
Joseph was incredible in 2024. We can talk about leading the league in interceptions all we want, and that is a big deal, but a lot of times, you can look at interceptions and see how some of them can be lucky. Maybe they got tipped into a guy's hands or something.
That's not what happened with Joseph. The thing he displayed he was so unbelievably good at this year was anticipation. I remember watching a Dennis Rodman interview where he talked about studying how the ball came off the rim and how that would tell him where he would need to be to make a rebound.
Joseph became the Lions version of that in 2024 He was in the right place at the time over and over again and it got to a point where he would almost bait quarterbacks into making throws. Go back and watch the All-22 on him during the season, you could just see him getting to the right spot every time.
The reason I go so hard on that in this contract projection piece is because that anticipation tells me that this isn't a flash in the pan. Joseph isn't going to have that one All-Pro season with interceptions. His development and understanding of the game show me he will have multiple All-Pro seasons with interceptions.
As you know, if you want quality, you have to pay for it. I worked with cap expert Joshua Queipo on putting together a contract extension projection for Joseph, and here is what we came up with:
A four-year deal worth $82 million with $46 million guaranteed and $40 million fully guaranteed. $20.5 million per year
This would make Joseph the second-highest-paid safety in the NFL behind Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Once Kyle Hamilton gets his new deal, it would likely place Joseph at third, and Joseph's deal will look like quite the steal at that point.
I know there is going to be some who think Joseph should be the highest-paid safety in the NFL and at some point, he might get there, but right now Hamilton and Winfield Jr. have years of showing that they're the top guys while Joseph is just starting his prime. In the end, he could maybe wind up better than both. We'll see.
Either way, this would be a hefty payday for Joeseph and would keep him locked in with Detroit until 2028 when he will be 28-years-old. Still young enough to get another deal by the way.
The big thing to note here is that while Joseph was incredibly good in 2024, he's not the only very good safety the Lions have. Brian Branch is also one of the top guys in the league, and he will be up for an extension after the 2025 season. There's a very good shot that he is going to get a deal that's very similar to the one Joseph is projected to get.
There's a real possibility that the Lions will have something like $160 million tied up in just their safety room relatively soon.
