The Lions UDFA contracts have been released. So, we looked back at Detroit’s last four UDFA classes to project what could happen in 2025.
Over the last 15 offseasons, at least one undrafted rookie free agent (UDFA) has made the Detroit Lions active season roster. While that appears to be a daunting task with the Lions’ loaded 2025 roster, there are some interesting patterns we can ascertain from the current regime that may give certain UDFAs a leg up on their path to the regular season.
Following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft , the Detroit Lions signed 10 undrafted rookie free agents . However, things were quickly adjusted, as Detroit released two of their UDFAs from their initial class (tight end Caden Prieskorn and center Leif Fautanu) after rookie minicamp and signed two additional rookies (tight end Luke Deal and edge rusher Keith Cooper ). Another UDFA rookie, Gavin Holmes, was released ahead of Week 2 of OTAs.
NFL contracts can tell a story, and UDFA contracts consist of three main parts. First is the NFL’s base salary for the current season: $845,000 in 2025. Second, UDFAs can receive a signing bonus as an incentive to join a franchise. Teams are limited to a pre-determined pool of money they can spend each cycle of UDFAs: approximately $206,000 per team for their entire class in 2025. Lastly, teams are also allowed to guarantee any portion of the rookie’s base salary. This gives teams additional leverage to entice a player to sign, but they must be cautious because if a UDFA is released from their contract at any point, the remaining guaranteed money counts against the team’s salary cap.
With this in mind, let’s look at the Lions’ 2025 UDFA class and the guaranteed money that was given to them in their contracts (via OverTheCap.com ):
Note: Cooper’s guarantees match the post-draft “reported” contractual numbers , but it’s important to recognize that he, in fact, did not earn a UDFA contract until after rookie minicamp, a situation that typically does not include any guarantees (See: Deal). Therefore, his numbers may not be entirely accurate.
Wide receivers in historically advantageous spots
While each rookie’s performance during OTAs and training camp will ultimately decide their fate, an exploration of their contracts (specifically the money guaranteed) can give us indicators of which players the Lions are expecting to challenge for a spot on the roster.
Under the Lions’ current regime, the benchmark to hit has been at least a $20,000 signing bonus, as players who have previously received that amount (Kingsley Eguakun, Connor Galvin, and Obinna Eze) each stayed with the team for at least two seasons.
In this year’s class, the Lions gave out $20,000 signing bonuses to wide receivers Jakobie Keeney-James and Jackson Meeks, and as previously mentioned, Keith Cooper may also be a part of this group.
To take this another step further, the UDFA with the most or second-most guarantees in each of Brad Holmes’ previous four rookie classes stayed with the franchise during his rookie season in some capacity—save one player in 2022.
That history suggests that despite drafting two wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft (Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett), the Lions also think very highly of Keeney-James and Meeks. That means all four wide receivers will not only have a real shot at making the active roster, but they may also have plans to keep them all around, opting to develop some on the practice squad.
Meritocracy
While the top two spots are typically the most advantageous, the Lions coaches always reward players who earned their spots, regardless of their signing bonus. And this approach has made projecting the future of the remaining players very unpredictable.
In 2024, impressively, eight of the 15 UDFAs signed still remain on the Lions’ current roster—but that only includes one of the six players with the highest guarantees.
The Lions still roster two players from the 2023 UDFA class, including one they wasted no time reacquiring after he was claimed during his rookie season. Connor Galvin, the player with the most guaranteed money in this class, was released after two seasons on the practice squad.
No players from the 2022 UDFA class remain on the roster in what was easily the worst class of their regime. Only Obinna Eze, the player with the most guarantees in this cycle, stuck around for more than one season.
Only one UDFA remains from Holmes’ initial class (2021), but Brock Wright has gone on to earn a second contract with the team.
Opportunities are available… but they only last for so long
In general, the Lions’ 2025 UDFA class boasts a strong collection of talent, and the guaranteed money suggests that the Lions likely prefer to give their wide receivers multiple opportunities to prove their potential.
Hope is not lost for the rest of the class, as the Lions have proven they are willing to retain players who were previously guaranteed little if they prove themselves in training camp. However, players who receive a signing bonus of less than $ 20,000 and overall guarantees of less than $100,000 typically only have a few opportunities in July and August, and they must seize them, as they may not get another chance.
Will the Lions find another diamond in the rough with this UDFA class? Or will the depth of a championship-caliber roster squeeze this class out? We’ll find out in training camp.