Josh Reynolds, a wide receiver, will not be signed by the Detroit Lions again.
Reynolds and the Denver Broncos reached a two-year contract, according to a March 27 report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The maximum value of the deal is $14 million.
Only one day has passed since Lions head coach Dan Campbell stated that the team preferred Reynolds to remain in Detroit before Reynolds signed with the Broncos.
According to Justin Rogers of The Detroit News, Campbell stated, “Look, we’re still in contact with J-Rey.” “I don’t believe it’s a secret what we think of him as a player—his versatility, his unselfishness, and his willingness to put in the dirty work. Look, just because I adore J-Rey doesn’t mean that tasks won’t get completed.
Reynolds had 97 catches for 1,393 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his 2.5 years with the Lions. He was the second-best wide receiver for the Lions in 2023 with 40 receptions, 608 receiving yards, and five touchdowns.
Josh Reynolds, WR, has signed with the Denver Broncos.
Throughout his NFL career, Reynolds has played alongside quarterback Jared Goff for at least a portion of each season. But come autumn, Reynolds will be playing with entirely new signal callers unless the Lions manage to re-acquire him in 2024.
After what was possibly his best NFL season to date, he is leaving for Denver. For the first time since 2020, Reynolds recorded at least 40 catches and 600 yards in 2023. Additionally, he tied his career high of five touchdowns, something he hadn’t achieved since 2018.
In addition, he had the second-best yards per reception average of his career last season—15.2—last season. The only time he performed better was in 2019 when he recorded 326 yards on just 21 receptions, averaging 15.5 yards per catch.
Reynolds is going to Denver in an attempt to take Jerry Jeudy’s place. This summer, Jeudy was dealt by the Broncos to the Cleveland Browns.
Reynolds will collaborate with veteran receivers Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick in Denver. Since 2018, those two wideouts have been members of the Broncos team. However, Patrick’s ruptured ACL and Achilles caused him to miss the entirety of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Reynolds has amassed 220 catches, 2,933 receiving yards, and 19 touchdowns over the course of seven NFL seasons. With the exception of the first five games of the 2021 season, when he played for the Tennessee Titans, he has spent his entire playing career alongside Goff.
How Will the Lions Take Reynolds’ Place?
Along with Campbell, Reynolds’ wish to return to Detroit was communicated by Lions general manager Brad Holmes. However, Kory E. Woods of MLive.com contended that the Lions’ decision to re-sign Donovan Peoples-Jones showed they had no intention of bringing Reynolds back.
Woods posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “Personally, I felt the writing was on the wall once they inked DPJ to a very friendly deal.”
Lions GM Brad Holmes said that the team still wanted to bring Josh Reynolds back. Personally, I felt the writing was on the wall once they inked DPJ to a very friendly deal.
— Kory E. Woods (@KoryEWoods) March 27, 2024
Peoples-Jones was acquired by the Lions at the NFL trade deadline in 2023. Then, on March 16, the Lions signed him to a $1 million, one-year contract.
Reynolds won’t be fully replaced by Peoples-Jones. However, Jameson Williams, a wide receiver in his third season, is also expected to play for the Lions in 2024.
On February 27, Campbell remarked of Williams, “We really felt like he started to come into his own by the end of the year.” “We’re looking for a full-time starter, and that’s what he’s going to push for right now.”
It also seems more likely that the Lions will target a receiver early in the 2024 NFL draft now that Reynolds is formally off the market. Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports made the case on March 22 for Detroit to select LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. by trading up in the first round.
Going forward, wide receiver is probably going to be an even more popular position for the Lions in NFL mock selections.
