Jalen Reeves-Maybin contract details: Lions’ deal nearly identical to one from 2022

Despite being billed as a record-setting special teams deal, Jalen Reeves-Maybin’s contract is nearly identical to the one he signed with the Texans in 2022.

Last week, the Detroit Lions handed Jalen Reeves-Maybin a two-year deal which was categorized as the biggest contract ever given to a primarily special teams player. Given his late-season defensive contributions, I don’t think that’s a completely fair way to categorize Reeves-Maybin, but it is a decent contract for the veteran.

This week, Over The Cap released the full details of Reeves-Maybin’s contract, and it revealed a deal that is both rewarding to the player and anything but suffocating for Detroit. let’s take a look.

Jalen Reeves Maybin contract: Two years, $7.5 million — $5.245M guaranteed

2024:

• $1.245M salary (guaranteed)
• $2.5M signing bonus (prorated at $1.25M per year)
• $500,000 roster bonus
• $255,000 gameday roster bonus ($15,000 per game)
• Cap hit: $3.25 million
• Dead cap if cut: $5.425 million

2025:

• $2.745M salary ($1 million guaranteed)
• $1.25M prorated signing bonus
• $255,000 gameday roster bonus ($15,000 per game)
• Cap hit: $4.25M
• Dead cap if cut: $2.25M

Interestingly enough, this deal is very close to the contract Reeves-Maybin got from the Houston Texans two years ago. There, he signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal worth $5 million guaranteed. His signing bonus then ($1.5M) was less, but his salaries ($2.25M and $3.25M) were higher. Reeves-Maybin only saw one of those years, though, as the Texans cut him in 2023, taking on $2 million in dead cap.

The Lions could take a similar approach to Reeves-Maybin’s deal. In his first season, he has a relatively modest $3.25 million cap hit. To put that in perspective, Jeremy Reaves—who earned first-team All-Pro on special teams last year—earned a one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Commanders the following year.

And while Reeves-Maybin’s cap hit jumps another million in 2025, that is still not a crazy amount to be spending on a special teamer, who also happens to contribute regularly on defense. Though if the Lions decide that they need some extra cap space, they could free $2 million next year by cutting him. But it’s worth reiterating, the Lions absolutely love Reeves-Maybin:

“He was a core player for us, and he’s the best special teams player in the league,” coach Dan Campbell said this week at the NFL Combine. “To be able to get him back again. He was somebody that was here in 2021. Then he was a free agent, goes to Houston, then to be able to get him back again last year, and the production he had, all that he could bring for us as a core player.

“But, also, defensively, there are some things that he can do on defense for us. Plays in dime. Helps in third down, can rush, can cover. But to be able to get him re-signed was huge. He’s a vital part of what we do. He is part of the foundation, in my opinion.”

Of note on Maybin’s deal: the Lions did not add any void years. This is something the Lions have done a lot of recently, but with the unexpected $30 million increase in the cap this year, perhaps the Lions are willing to take on a little more cap hit in the next year or two.