Dianna Russini of ESPN reported that the Detroit Lions have landed the former Cincinnati Bengals player Marvin Jones, staying ahead of the new league year starting at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. This news came soon after Calvin Johnson announced his retirement from the Lions.
It is a popular sentiment that former Bengals player Jones has big shoes to fill.
Jones reportedly told Mike Silver of NFL Network that it was about the opportunity rather than about the money.
The deal made is for five years. It is a $40 million deal, with $27 million in the first three years.
News of the contract between Jones and the Detroit Lions comes less than 24 hours after Johnson's announcement of retiring from the NFL.
Johnson has finished playing nine seasons in the league.
Jones, who turns 26 on March 12, reportedly said he looks up to the now former receiver Johnson.
Jones has been considered one of the few players who stand out during what has been a relatively down year for free-agent receiver talent. He was expected to sign with virtually whoever he wanted to - and expected to be paid well for it too. Jones was picked during the fifth-round in 2012, and back then he wasn't seen as a real No. 1 or No. 2 pass-catcher when he entered the league. Before too much time passed though, he became the perfect complement to Pro Bowler A.J. Green. 2013 saw Jones catching a career-high 10 touchdown passes.
Green had 11 touchdown catches in that year. That made it only the second season in franchise history that the Bengals had two receivers with 10 or more touchdown receptions.
Jones' best game of his career was during that season too. He caught four touchdown passes in a 49-9 rout of the New York Jets.
Jones has had foot and ankle injuries that made him miss his entire third season in 2014, but he returned healthy in 2015 - which was a great year for him: he was targeted 98 times and caught a career-high 65 passes for 816 yards and four touchdowns.
