Detroit Lions second-round pick D’Andre Swift looked like one of the last of the poor draft picks by the team before General Manager Brad Holmes and Head Coach Dan Campbell took over.
However, while Swift did not live up to his draft status with the Lions, he has gone on to have a strong career. He just signed his third deal since entering the NFL and his second extension after his rookie contract.
The three-year, $33.75M deal with the Chicago Bears is a raise from his latest contract and makes him the 14th highest-paid running back in the NFL. This is about the type of player the Lions projected him to be when they drafted him.
To make matters even funnier from the Lions’ perspective, he is coming off of a career year with Ben Johnson as his play caller. Of course, Johnson was the Lions’ play caller in 2022, which was the last year that Swift was with the Lions.
So, the Lions’ high draft pick gets to play out the prime of his career with the Lions’ former play caller, and they will do it for the Lions’ division rival.
Detroit Lions Former Second Round Pick D’Andre Swift Signs New Extension With Chicago Bears
Swift was drafted by the Lions when Bob Quinn was the General Manager. Matt Patricia was the head coach, and Darrell Bevell was the offensive coordinator. It feels like a lifetime ago.
Swift had 521 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground as a rookie. Dan Campbell took over in his second season. Ben Johnson was on the staff, but did not fully take over calling plays until 2022.
Swift had 617 yards on the ground in 2021, and then 542 yards in 2022. He was entering the last year of his deal and was not tied to the coaching staff or front office. So, they traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions ultimately got Antoine Green and Sione Vaki for the player.
Swift Exploded After Lions Stint
In his first year outside of Detroit, he posted his first 1,000-yard season. He had a career-high 229 carries after 364 carries in three seasons with the Lions. So, the Bears signed him to a three-year, $24M deal.
Swift had 959 yards in his first year with the team. The season was impressive considering the offense fired the offensive coordinator during the season and had a rookie quarterback.
When the team hired Johnson, the question was whether it was Johnson or Campbell who limited his work in Detroit. Johnson gave him 223 carries in his first year with the Bears. Swift responded with a career-high 1,087 yards.
Now, the team is bumping his average annual salary from $8M to just over $11M per year. The Lions will get to see Swift and Johnson twice per season for the next three seasons now that he is extended.
Lions Former 2nd-Round Pick Lands $33.75M Deal With Rival