Predicting Lions Kerby Joseph Contract Extension

What contract extension could Lions offer Kerby Joseph?

Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31). / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have one of the league's best safeties eligible for a contract extension this offseason.

Kerby Joseph, who led the NFL in interceptions with nine last season, has one year remaining on his rookie deal. As a result, the Lions have been working toward a new deal to keep the Illinois product in Detroit for the long-term future.

It's no secret that Joseph has quickly become one of the game's elite ball-hawks. He has 17 career interceptions through three seasons, with four apiece in each of his first two years and nine in his third.

His efforts in 2024 earned him Associated Press First Team All-Pro honors, making him the third player drafted by general manager Brad Holmes to achieve that standard. Now, he will likely command an extension that could reset the market for players at his position.

Currently, the safety market is headlined by Antoine Winfield's four-year, $84.1 million contract signed prior to this season. His average annual value (AAV) is $21.025 million, and he leads the market by just over $2 million over Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Using this as the baseline, it's reasonable for Joseph to earn top of the market money. He outperformed every defensive back in terms of interceptions, and also recorded 83 combined tackles.

In remaining healthy for all 17 games plus the postseason, the Illinois product remained a valuable asset for the defense throughout the year. His All-Pro honors cemented his place among the best players at his position in the league.

The breakout 2024 campaign was also an example of the growth Joseph has shown. Entering the league as a third-round pick in 2022, he was slated for reserve duties before an early season injury to Tracy Walker necessitated that he enter the starting lineup beginning in Week 4 of his rookie year.

Early in his career, Joseph's instincts were clear with the ball in the air, but he struggled at times to bring ball-carriers to the turf. In 2022, his missed tackle rate was 12.2 percent, and that number increased to 15 percent in 2023.

However, in 2024, Joseph demonstrated that he is a well-rounded player. In addition to his interceptions, his missed tackle rate shrunk to just 6.3 percent, and he was the Lions' second-highest Pro Football Focus-graded defender with a 90.4 grade.

Because of this, Joseph can be expected to top the market in terms of total value and AAV. This will be another strain on a 2026 season that is already beginning to be loaded up on hefty contracts, but it is a necessary decision for the team if they want to hold on to another talent that they drafted.

As it stands, the Lions only have around $5 million available in cap space for the 2026 season. Given this fact, an extension for Joseph would likely carry a low base salary and a significant amount of his year one money put in bonuses.

However, the defender's base salary and cap number would likely greatly increase in 2027 and beyond.

With all this information in mind, I'm projecting a four-year, $88 million contract extension for Joseph to remain with the Lions, guaranteeing him $48 million in the process to make him the highest-paid safety in the league.

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