11:49am: The Lions have officially confirmed their deal with Kerley, per a press release.
9:49am: It’s a one-year deal worth just over $1MM for Kerley, reports Caplan (via Twitter).
9:41am: The Lions continue to fortify their wide receiving corps, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to a deal with free agent wideout Jeremy Kerley. Because Kerley was released by the Jets, his signing won’t count toward the compensatory draft pick formula for 2017.
Kerley, 27, agreed to a four-year extension with the Jets about a year and a half ago, but GM John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan were replaced by Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles, respectively, shortly after that deal was signed. Largely written out of New York’s offense in 2015, Kerley posted the worst statistics of his career, hauling in only 16 passes for 152 yards, and was subsequently released.
Still, Kerley has enjoyed some productive seasons in the past, most notably in 2012, when he hauled in 56 passes for 827 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In Detroit, he’ll likely compete for the No. 3 job on the depth chart behind Golden Tate and the newly-signed Marvin Jones. Calvin Johnson, of course, is no longer in the mix in Detroit, having announced his retirement earlier this month.
Kerley also drew interest from – and reportedly made visits with – the Chiefs and Bills before agreeing to sign with the Lions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I like the fit, particularly at that price. I think Kerley can be a highly-effective slot receiver in the right offense, and the Lions certainly have the type of offense to best utilize his skill-set. Could be a very underrated pickup.
Idk why the chargers didnt sign him. yeah they signed travis benjamin but allen or johnson or benjamin go down it would of been nice to have kerley to fill the void. id trust kerley more than inman and herndon
This is a bargain for Kerley, who, like Rory said, can work well in the right offense. This will help offset the loss of Megatron, along with adding Marvin Jones. Though neither are close to being in that class, obviously, Kerley was a solid target prior to Chan Gailey phasing him out of the Jets’ attack last season. Being an above-average target on Geno Smith-quarterbacked without much help had to be difficult, and Matt Stafford will be by far the most talented quarterback Kerley’s had. $1MM for Kerley is a borderline steal for Detroit.