The Detroit Lions have begun to assemble their 90-player offseason roster, keeping some familiar faces in Allen Park. On Monday, the team announced 12 roster moves, including the signing of 11 players to futures contracts and the promotion of defensive back Morice Norris to the active roster.
Norris, who went undrafted out of Fresno State in 2024, was released during training camp after a hamstring injury ended his preseason early. After receiving an injury settlement, he stayed in the Detroit area for rehabilitation and later rejoined the Lions’ practice squad when he became eligible. As the team faced injuries, Norris was promoted to the active roster late in the season, appearing in Weeks 17 and 18 as well as in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, where he stepped in for Ifeatu Melifonwu after an early injury. Norris was not eligible for a futures contract because he ended the season on the active roster, but he will rejoin the team under an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) designation.
The 11 players signed to futures contracts all spent the previous season on the Lions’ practice squad, with many being with the team for the entire year. Here are the players:
QB Jake Fromm
WR Tom Kennedy
OT Jamarco Jones
IOL Kingsley Eguakun
DT Chris Smith
EDGE Isaac Ukwu
LB Abraham Beauplan
LB DaRon Gilbert
CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
S Loren Strickland
S Erick Hallett
A futures contract is applicable only to street free agents—players not on a team’s active roster—and it serves to delay a player’s cap hit until the start of the new league year. For instance, if all 11 players receive the league minimum salary (estimated at $840,000), their combined cap hit would total around $9.24 million. However, this cap hit is deferred until March 12, 2025, when the new NFL year begins, meaning these contracts won’t affect the 2024 salary cap or the team’s end-of-year financial adjustments.
In addition to these signings, five players who finished the season on the Lions’ practice squad did not receive futures contracts on Monday. These players are now street free agents and free to sign with any team, though further moves could still be made in the coming days. These players include:
RB Jermar Jefferson
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
WR Maurice Alexander
TE James Mitchell
LB Kwon Alexander
