Lions, Kerby Joseph agree on extension to make him highest-paid safety in NFL history

Richard Silva and Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News on Apr 23, 2025

Published in Football

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DETROIT — Kerby Joseph isn’t going anywhere.

The Detroit Lions on Wednesday agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $86 million with the All-Pro safety, a source confirmed to The Detroit News. The guaranteed money in the deal is not yet known.

Joseph is now the highest-paid safety NFL history, both in average annual value ($21.5 million) and total contract value. Other safeties currently in the league making over $18 million per year include Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr. ($21 million), Los Angeles’ Derwin James ($19 million), Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick ($18.2 million) and Arizona’s Budda Baker ($18 million). All numbers are via OverTheCap.

Making the argument for Joseph, 24, being the NFL’s best ballhawk is easy. Since he entered the league as a third-round pick in 2022, no one has more interceptions (17). Joseph notched eight picks over his first two seasons and exploded with nine in 2024, helping the Lions win a franchise-record 15 games during the regular season.

Joseph was snubbed for the Pro Bowl in 2024, but he became the first Lions safety since Yale Lary in 1962 to earn All-Pro honors as a member of the first team. Joseph also contributed 83 total tackles and 12 passes defended last season.

“He’s another one that’s gotten better and better,” general manager Brad Holmes said in January, when asked about Joseph. “He’s one that has proven that he’s a Detroit Lion. He fits; he fits our culture. It’s hard to find ballhawk guys that will tackle like how he does, and I think that’s what makes him unique.”

A three-star recruit in the Class of 2018 who spent four seasons at Illinois (2018-22), Joseph has become a fan favorite. His ability to generate takeaways has helped his popularity, but supporters have also grown fond of the edge he plays with. Joseph, rarely afraid to speak his mind, has delivered some memorable quotes, too.

Joseph is the first member of Detroit’s 2022 draft class to receive a contract extension. Others eligible for extensions this offseason include edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Paschal, wide receiver Jameson Williams and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.

Hutchinson and Williams, selected with the second and 12th picks, respectively, can have their fifth-year options picked up by the May 1 deadline. Paschal and Rodriguez, however, are playing on the last year of their rookie deals.

Shelling out for Joseph is a signal the Lions aren’t afraid to invest big-time money at safety. That’s notable, given how Joseph’s partner at the position, Brian Branch, is eligible for an extension next offseason. Branch, after playing nickel cornerback as a rookie, teamed up with Joseph on the backend to form arguably the league’s best tandem at safety last season. The duo combined for 192 total tackles (nine for loss), 28 pass deflections and 13 interceptions in 2024.

The coaching staff has often discussed how Joseph and Branch are a great fit side by side, due to Joseph’s ability to play deep and track the ball and Branch’s ability to play in the box and be a weapon as a run defender and blitzer.

Holmes has now agreed to multi-year extensions with five of his draft picks, as Joseph joins a group that includes offensive tackle Penei Sewell, defensive lineman Alim McNeill, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and linebacker Derrick Barnes.

It seems impossible for the Lions to retain all of the talent Holmes has accumulated since being hired in 2021, but Joseph is one fans don’t have to worry about for the foreseeable future.