Lions re-sign safety Tracy Walker to three-year, $25M deal

The Lions have agreed to a new deal with safety Tracy Walker. The veteran will return on a three-year, $25M contract with $17M guaranteed, according to a source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Walker, a third-round pick in 2018, was pegged by many draft analysts as a late-round selection. However, the Lions saw something in him, and they weren’t willing to let him get away. Now, they know that they made the right choice, especially since the Panthers were ready to pounce at No. 85 overall.

Walker, 27, started in all 15 of his games this year, notching 108 tackles, one sack, one interception and six passes defensed. Heading into free agency, Pro Football Focus estimated that the safety could notch a two-year, $13M deal. That’s more or less what he has here in terms of annual average value, though the Lions went a touch higher at $8M+ per annum and added an extra year. The details of the deal will be telling — it’s possible that Walker has little in the way of guarantees for that third season.

While Walker could have generated interest on the open market, he was not as valued as other safeties in this year’s class. This year’s group featured Saints standout Marcus Williams (Saints), Chiefs veteran Tyrann Mathieu and promising Jets safety Marcus Maye.