There are going to be multiple players who are due new contracts and extensions with the Detroit Lions this offseason. For me, there is no player that went out there and showed marked improvement more than Kerby Joseph did 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’s going to 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 Antione 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.
