Report: Lions to Release Trey Flowers Next Week

The defensive end had spent the past three seasons in Detroit after arriving through free agency.

Detroit’s roster turnover continues.

Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press reports the Lions told DE Trey Flowers they are releasing him. Flowers was set to make $ 16 million with a $23 million cap hit this year.

The Lions have informed DE Trey Flowers that he will be released on the first day of the 2022 league year next week. Flowers has been nothing but class in Detroit, a good player hit hard by injuries the past 2 seasons.

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) March 10, 2022

The move will not be made official until next week.

Detroit signed Flowers to a five-year, $90 million in the 2019 offseason. His Patriots connections with then head coach Matt Patricia and then general manager Bob Quinn were a huge reason why the team wanted him at the time.

In three seasons, Flowers only played in 29 games for Detroit, including 14 games combined since 2020. He had a strong 2019, recording 51 tackles and seven sacks, but only totaled 46 tackles and 3.5 sacks since.

Flowers has dealt with multiple injuries over the last two seasons, including knee injuries, shoulder injuries and a broken forearm. He hits free agency for the second time in his career five months before he turns 29 years old.

The Lions linebacker depth chart includes Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Romeo Okwara and Nick Williams. They also own the No. 2 pick in the draft, and SI’s Kevin Hanson had them taking Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson with the selection.