Getty Detroit Lions offensive guard Graham Glasgow posted a message on his X account after agreeing to a new contract.
Free agency has yet to officially begin, but the Detroit Lions won’t lose both of their offensive guards after all. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on March 11 that the Lions have agreed in principle to a new contract with guard Graham Glasgow.
Garafolo wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Glasgow will sign a 3-year deal worth $20 million with $9.5 million guaranteed.
SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit’s X account congratulated the veteran offensive guard on the new deal. Included in the congratulations tweet was a short clip of Glasgow blowing a kiss in front of a camera.
Glasgow responded to the congratulatory tweet, writing, “Happy to be back!” with two large kiss emojis.
The new deal will continue Glasgow’s second tenure in Detroit. He played his first four seasons with the Lions before leaving in free agency to join the Denver Broncos in 2020.
Glasgow returned to Detroit last season. While he was set to be a reserve interior offensive lineman, Glasgow started 15 contests and then 3 playoff games. He played well enough to warrant the team to prioritize him in NFL free agency.
Fellow Lions offensive guard Jonah Jackson is also an unrestricted free agent.
Jackson is open to begin negotiating with other teams when the NFL’s legal tampering period begins at 12 pm ET on March 11. Glasgow will be able to officially sign his next contract when the new league year begins at 4 pm ET on March 13.
Lions Re-Sign Guard Graham Glasgow
With Glasgow’s deal, the Lions will bring back one of their starting guards. He was expected to serve as a backup guard, but with Halapoulivaati Vaitai dealing with injuries for most of the season, Glasgow became a key free agent pick up last year.
Glasgow began his career with the Lions as a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He started 11 contests as a rookie and then started every game but one from 2017-19.
Although he left the team for three seasons, Glasgow was actually one of the few links the Lions still had from their previous playoff appearance. He started in Detroit’s 2017 playoff game versus the Seattle Seahawks.
Glasgow will turn 32 in July, but his return will bring a steadiness and a lot of NFL experience at guard for the Lions. He has started 106 games in his eight-year career.
Glasgow Earns Major Pay Raise
Ask and you shall receive isn’t exactly how NFL free agency works. But it’s highly unlikely anyone will receive a significant pay increase if one doesn’t ask.
Glasgow shared his thoughts about his potential next contract with reporters days after Detroit’s loss in the NFC championship game.
“I would like to make more money than I did this year and I would assume the guys upstairs know and understand that,” Glasgow said, via The Detroit News’ Justin Rogers. “I feel like stuff like this kind of works.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to work through it.”
The veteran offensive lineman received what he wanted.
Last season, he returned to Detroit on a 1-year, $2.75 million contract. His next contract guarantees he will receive at least four times that amount. It’s possible that it takes him to the end of his career.