Tim Patrick contract details: Another big bargain for Detroit Lions

Last year, the Detroit Lions struggled to find their third starting wide receiver in training camp. The battle between Antoine Green, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Daurice Fountain bore no fruit, leaving Detroit scrambling to find an answer among other team’s cuts.

That’s when the had former Broncos receiver Tim Patrick fall into their lap, and it couldn’t have worked out much better. While the Lions didn’t need him to earn a heavy target share—he only was targeted 44 times in 16 games—he was still an essential part of the offense. He offered a big bodied target for Jared Goff, and was a willing and capable blocker in the run game.

Last year, Patrick played on the veteran minimum salary for the Lions ($1.125 million) due to his extensive injury history. It was a huge bargain for a starter at a premium position. And while Patrick is getting a raise this year after re-signing with the Lions, he remains a huge discount for Detroit.

Originally described as a one-year contract worth up to $4 million, Patrick’s contract is actually just a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Here’s a breakdown of the numbers

Tim Patrick — one-year, $2.5 million, fully guaranteed

• Base salary: $1,255,000 (fully guaranteed)
• Signing bonus: $1,245,000
• Cap hit: $2,500,000

Because the contract was initially described as up to $4 million, we can safely assumed there are $1.5 million in incentives baked into the deal. At this point, there are no reports on what those incentives are, but they are typically tied to production, snaps played, postseason honors, or team accomplishments.

Otherwise, the structure of the deal couldn’t be simpler. A fully-guaranteed base salary (at the veteran minimum), plus a signing bonus that essentially doubles his payout. Detroit will get no savings if they cut Patrick, so while he isn’t a lock at his current pay, there’s little reason to part ways with him.

Looking at Detroit’s entire wide receiver room, the Lions are getting bargains out of nearly everyone.

• Amon-Ra St. Brown: $13.91 million — 16th among WRs in 2025
• Kalif Raymond: $6.38 million — 38th
• Jameson Williams: $5.6 million — 40th
• Tim Patrick: $2.5 million — 74th

Still, despite the individual discounts, the Lions are spending the 10th most at the position, with over $31.5 million in cap space devoted to wide receivers. That makes sense, though, considering they have arguably two top-20 receivers and an All-Pro returner.