Breaking news: Details of Tim Patrick’s contract: Another fantastic deal for the Detroit Lions

analyzing the team-friendliness of Tim Patrick’s new deal with the Detroit Lions.

During training camp last year, the Detroit Lions had trouble identifying a third starting wide receiver. The conflict between Daurice Fountain, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Antoine Green ended in failure, forcing Detroit to scramble among the cuts made by other teams for a solution.

Tim Patrick, a former Broncos receiver, fell into their lap at that moment, and the outcome couldn’t have been more favorable. He was only targeted 44 times in 16 games, so the Lions didn’t need him to earn a high target share, but he was still a vital component of the attack. In addition to being a willing and competent blocker in the run game, he provided Jared Goff with a large target.

Because of his lengthy history of injuries, Patrick played for the Lions last season on the veteran minimum wage ($1.125 million). For a starter in a high-end position, that was an incredible deal. Patrick is still a fantastic bargain for Detroit, even though he is receiving a raise this season after re-signing with the Lions.

In reality, Patrick’s contract is only a one-year, $2.5 million agreement, while being first stated to be worth up to $4 million. Below is a summary of the figures.

Tim Patrick: $2.5 million, one year, and complete guarantee

$1,255,000 is the base wage, which is totally guaranteed.
Bonus for signing: $1,245,000
$2,500,000 is the cap hit.
We can safely assume that $1.5 million in incentives are included in the contract because it was originally stated that it could total up to $4 million. At this point, there are no reports on what those incentives are, but they are typically tied to production, snaps played, postseason honors, or team accomplishments.

Otherwise, the structure of the deal couldn’t be simpler. A fully-guaranteed base salary (at the veteran minimum), plus a signing bonus that essentially doubles his payout. Detroit will get no savings if they cut Patrick, so while he isn’t a lock at his current pay, there’s little reason to part ways with him.

The Lions are getting deals from almost everyone in Detroit’s wide receiver room: Amon-Ra St. Brown: $13.91 million — 16th among 2025 WRs; Kalif Raymond: $6.38 million — 38th; Jameson Williams: $5.6 million — 40th; Tim Patrick: $2.5 million — 74th. Nevertheless, even with the individual discounts, the Lions are spending the 10th most at the position, with over $31.5 million in cap space dedicated to wide receivers, which makes sense given that they have two arguably among the top-20 receivers and an All-Pro returner.