The Detroit Lions made a fantastic pivot in 2024 free agency, signing Kevin Zeitler after losing guard Jonah Jackson to the Los Angeles Rams. On a cost weighed against performance basis, Zeitler's one-year, $6 million goes down as one of the steals of last year's free agency around the league.
Zeitler finished the season as Pro Football Focus' third-highest-graded guard (86.8 overall grade), with the second-best run blocking grade at the position (87.2). After some early hiccups as a pass blocker, he was mostly really good there too.
Zeitler should have some multi-year offers out there on the open market. Maybe he decides to stay with the Lions on a another one-year deal, but he should at least get a glimpse at what else might be out there before doing so--like every free agent should. At 35 years old Zeitler, might be in the segment of free agents that will be content to stay with their current team if a viable offer is made.
'Sneaky' team who could sign Kevin Zeitler away from the Lions actually lands as obvious
More than a handful of teams, counting the Lions or not, can make a case to sign Zeitler and he looks like a viable alternative for teams who need a right guard but would be hesitant to end up possibly overpaying Trey Smith.
Prior to landing with the Lions, Zeitler spent three seasons (2021-2023) with the Baltimore Ravens. Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz was in the Ravens' front office for over two decades before joining Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles, and former Ravens players were on his radar right off the bat.
The Chargers are also firmly in the market for a right guard, with the fifth-most cap space in the league ($63.4 million). And we know how Harbaugh values the trenches. So Jason Reed of Bolt Beat has uncovered Zeitler as a prime free agent target for them, even if he ends up only being a one-year stopgap.
Contract projections for Zeitler sit at a repeat of last year's one-year deal at a bit more money, rooted in his being older and any questions about maintaining a high level of play. The Chargers seemed like a fairly sneaky potential suitor for Zeitler at first glance, but there's a strong case for them to be No. 1 on the list of teams who could sign him away from the Lions.
