When the Detroit Lions handed Derrick Barnes a three-year, $24 million contract with $16 million guaranteed ahead of 2025 free agency, it raised some eyebrows. Not because Barnes lacked talent-he’s been a solid piece of Detroit’s linebacker corps since being drafted in 2021-but because the timing and size of the deal came on the heels of a knee injury that cut his 2024 season short.
Still, the Lions clearly saw something they liked. They didn’t wait to see if he’d hit the open market.
They locked him in.
And to Barnes’ credit, he answered the call. He started all 17 games in 2025, racked up 78 total tackles, notched four sacks, picked off a pass, and added six tackles for loss.
He played 85 percent of the defensive snaps and did it all over the field-literally. According to Pro Football Focus, Barnes logged 460 snaps on the defensive line, 374 in the box, and even 101 as a slot corner.
That kind of versatility is rare, and it’s exactly what defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's system demands from the SAM linebacker spot.
So, performance-wise? Barnes held his own.
Especially considering this was his first full season back from a knee injury. But when you dig into the advanced metrics, the picture gets a little murkier-and that’s where the questions about value start to creep in.
According to PFF’s Bradley Locker, Barnes was pegged as the Lions’ worst free-agent signing of the 2025 offseason. That’s not to say he was bad, but the numbers suggest the Lions might not be getting the return they hoped for.
His passer rating allowed when targeted jumped from 56.3 in 2024 to 112.4 in 2025-a massive leap in the wrong direction. His run stop rate of 5.3% ranked in just the 20th percentile among linebackers.
Those aren’t the kind of stats you want to see from a guy you just paid $16 million guaranteed.
And then there’s the ripple effect.
Whether it was intentional or not, the Barnes deal sent a message to another key piece of Detroit’s defense-veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone. Just a couple weeks after Barnes inked his new contract, Anzalone took to social media to remind folks of his value, tweeting: “No other LB asked to do what I do.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Despite entering the season with a contract adjustment that didn’t do much to sweeten the pot, Anzalone showed up and showed out. At 31 years old, he finished second on the team in tackles, broke up nine passes, and posted a better pass-rushing grade and more quarterback hits than Barnes. In short, he was once again one of the Lions' most dependable defenders.
Now, age is a factor. Barnes is 26, Anzalone’s 31.
From a front office perspective, it makes sense to invest in the younger player. But there’s no denying that Anzalone has been the heartbeat of this defense for several seasons now.
And while Barnes has potential-and flashed it in 2025-he wasn’t clearly better than Anzalone this year. Not by a long shot.
It’s too early to call the Barnes contract a bust. He’s still young, still developing, and still offers a rare level of flexibility within the defense.
But one season in, the decision to prioritize Barnes financially over Anzalone feels shaky. The Lions may have been trying to plan for the future-but in doing so, they may have undervalued the present.
And in a league where windows close fast, that’s a gamble that could come back to bite.