Lions also agree deals with cornerback Justin Coleman, tight end Jesse James and wide receiver Danny Amendola.
Wednesday 13 March 2019 17:27, UK
The New England Patriots are set to lose one of their best defensive players after Trey Flowers agreed a five-year deal with the Detroit Lions.
ESPN were first to report the news of the deal, which is expected to be worth more than $16m per season.
Deals cannot become official until the start of the new league year, at 8pm GMT on Wednesday.
Detroit were in the market for a pass rusher to replace former first-round pick Ezekiel Ansah and, in Flowers, they have landed arguably the best one on the market.
Flowers can line up all over the defensive line and excels against both the pass and the run.
The 25-year-old is well known to Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who coached him for three seasons when he was the Patriots defensive co-ordinator, before leaving to take over in Detroit prior to last season.
In four years in New England, Flowers compiled 164 tackles and 21 sacks. He had 9.5 sacks in 2018, including two during the Patriots' Super Bowl run.
According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers ranked in the top ten in the NFL in 2018 in quarterback hits, hurries, and total pressures in 2018.
Flowers was the second big-name free agent to depart the reigning Super Bowl champions on Monday, after offensive tackle Trent Brown agreed a reported four-year, $66m deal with the Oakland Raiders.
Flowers was the headline acquisition on a busy start to free agency in Detroit.
The Lions also agreed deals with cornerback Justin Coleman, tight end Jesse James and slot receiver Danny Amendola.
Coleman agreed to a four-year contract worth $36m, according to NFL Network, making him the league's highest-paid nickelback.
Amendola signed a one-year $5.75m deal days after being released by the Miami Dolphins. Terms have not yet been reported for James.
Flowers, Coleman and Amendola are all former New England Patriots, though Coleman spent the last two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and Amendola spent 2018 in Miami.
Coleman, who turns 26 later this month, had an interception and 10 passes defensed in 16 games (five starts) for Seattle last season. He also recorded a career-best 55 tackles.
Amendola, 33, has 485 career receptions, including 59 grabs in 15 games in Miami last season. He had 40 receptions or more in seven NFL seasons, including 138 in his first two seasons in the league with the then-St. Louis Rams.
"I feel really good," Amendola told reporters. "I'm in the best condition of my life, I'm as fast as I've ever been and I'm as hungry as ever. I'm ready to play at a high level and do whatever I can to help this team win."
James, 24, had 30 catches for 423 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games (seven starts) for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, giving him 120 catches for 1,189 yards and nine scores in his four-year career. He was a fifth-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2015.
The Lions also officially released cornerback Nevin Lawson. The team will reportedly save $4.675m of his $5.8m cap figure for 2019.
Lawson, who turns 28 in April, had signed a two-year, $9.6m extension last March. He started 45 games for Detroit over the last three seasons, notching 18 passes defensed.
