Detroit Lions Re-Sign LB Malcolm Rodriguez

The Detroit Lions have elected to retain another member of their 2022 NFL draft class.

Detroit has agreed to a new deal with linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, who becomes the fourth member of the 2022 class to earn a second contract with the organization.

It is reportedly a one-year deal.

Rodriguez joins Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams and Kerby Joseph as players the Lions drafted in that class to re-upped. In total, eight players who Brad Holmes has drafted were extended since taking over back in 2021.

Hutchinson is the headliner of the 2022 class, inking a four-year, $180 million deal in October, 2025. Williams signed a three-year extension worth up to $83 million, while Joseph became the highest-paid safety in the game last year when he signed a four-year extension worth $86 million.

For Rodriguez, the new contract is an opportunity to remain with the organization that drafted him in the sixth-round of the 2022 draft. Viewed as an undersized prospect, the Oklahoma State product wasted little time asserting himself and starting 15 games as a rookie. 

Detroit drafted Jack Campbell in the first-round of the 2023 draft, and the emergence of Derrick Barnes relegated Rodriguez to a rotational role that season. He was solid for the team in 2024 when called upon to replace Barnes, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3, but wound up suffering a torn ACL himself on Thanksgiving.

As a result of the timing of his injury, Rodriguez would miss the start of the 2025 season. He appeared in seven games last season with one start. 

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