Kalif Raymond Finds Another Team Willing to Give Him an Opportunity

The Detroit Lions sign the wide receiver/return man after the Titans opted not to bring him back.

Kalif Raymond had reason to believe that another NFL team would give him a chance when the Tennessee Titans allowed him to become a free agent.

After all, ever since the wide receiver/return man entered the league, he repeatedly has found a franchise willing to put him on its roster – even if most don’t keep him there for long.

The Detroit Lions became the latest to do so when they signed Raymond on Tuesday. The 26-year-old was available because the Titans opted not to make the necessary qualifying offer to retain his rights for 2021. He had been with Tennessee since late in 2018 and for most of the last two seasons was the team’s primary return man.

Over the course of four years, Raymond, an undersized speedster (he is 5-foot-8, 182 pounds) has been waived nine times by four clubs (Tennessee, Denver, New York Jets and New York Giants).

None gave him a longer look than the Titans. He has appeared in 35 games for his career, 23 for Tennessee. He set a career-high with 15 games played in 2020.

All but one of his 19 career receptions were for the Titans. He also averaged 9.4 yards on 27 punt returns and 20.5 yards on 33 kickoff returns for them.

“A year of experience, just playing, definitely gives you a little bit more confidence because you know what you can do and everything like that,” Raymond said last year during training camp. “… I’m so appreciative of (playing for the Titans) because the confidence, knowing that you can go out there and catch that ball when the ball is thrown to you helps a lot.”

Detroit needed help in the return game following the free-agent departure of Jamal Agnew (Jacksonville). The Lions also had two wide receivers from last year’s team sign elsewhere since the start of free agency.