Late today, the Detroit Lions signed a tight end who was named as one of the best fits for the position on the free agent market. Veteran Tyler Conklin, who played last season for the Los Angeles Chargers, agreed to a one-year contract with the Lions, according to his agent, Mike McCartney of VaynerSports.
Terms of the signing had not been made public as of late Friday afternoon, but the deal brings Conklin and his 2,645 receiving yards back to the NFC North where he began his NFL career after being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings as a fifth-round pick out of Central Michigan in 2018.
Conklin is coming off a one-year contract with Los Angeles that paid him $2.98 million of the $27 million he has earned in his eight-year NFL career.
“Conklin comes to Detroit after spending last season with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he appeared in 13 games (five starts) and recorded seven receptions for 101 yards (14.4 avg.),” according to a report by the Lions’ official site, DetroitLions.com.
Conklin Signing Gives Lions Tight End Depth
The signing is primarily a depth move for Detroit, but in an analysis earlier this month, Jeremy Reisman of SB Nation rated Conklin as one of the best fits for Detroit among available free agent tight ends — along with Daniel Bellinger of the New York Giants, Austin Hooper of the New England Patriots and Chris Manhertz, also formerly with the Giants.
All three of those tight ends are already signed. Bellinger joined the Tennessee Titans; Hooper went to the team that drafted him, the Atlanta Falcons; and Manhertz returned to the Giants.
Conklin is “coming off a rough year with the Chargers,” Reisman wrote. “After three years of good production with the Jets, he managed just seven catches for 101 yards in LA, and was even a healthy scratch regularly toward the end of the season. A change of scenery would do him well, and reuniting with (new Lions offensive coordinator Drew) Petzing, who overlapped with Conklin for two years with the Vikings in 2018-19, could be just the landing spot he needs.”
Chargers Lose Protection For Justin Herbert
With the Lions effectively stealing Conklin, who served primarily as a blocker for the Chargers, Los Angeles finds itself looking for help in finding new protection for Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert, who has taken the Chargers to the postseason in each of the last two years.
Earlier on Friday, the Chargers also lost offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, who inked a pact with the Miami Dolphins. That leaves the Chargers to rely on Cole Strange, who they signed away from the Dolphins earlier in the week.
Strange started his career with the New England Patriots, when legendary former head coach Bill Belichick made the Chattanooga guard the Patriots’ first-round draft pick, 29th overall, in 2022 — possibly the single most controversial draft pick of Belichick’s 24-year tenure in New England.
Herbert took 54 sacks last season, second-most in the NFL behind the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Geno Smith and the Titans’ Cam Ward, who each tied with a league-leading 55. Losing a blocking tight end in Conklin plus a versatile offensive lineman in Salyer may not bode well for Herbert’s future, unless the Chargers can figure out how to upgrade those positions before the offseason wraps up.
Lions Steal $3 Million, 8-Year Veteran TE From Chargers