On the day before NFL free agency began, the Detroit Lions tendered three restricted free agents: offensive tackle Corey Hilliard, defensive tackle Sammie Hill and linebacker DeAndre Levy. So far, none of the three players have signed their tendered offer, but that won't be the case for long.
Dave Birkett is reporting that Levy plans to sign his tender this weekend, meaning he will be ready to participate in the Lions' offseason training program, which begins on Monday. As reported earlier, players who have been tendered offers can participate in the offseason program even if they aren't under contract by signing a waiver. For Levy, he will be under contract once he signs his tendered offer, meaning no waiver will be necessary.
Levy's one-year tender is at the second-round level. This means he will make $1.927 million in 2012.
Levy is penciled in as one of the starters at outside linebacker for the Lions. With Justin Durant and Stephen Tulloch also returning, the Lions' starting linebacker corps is set to be the same as last season, giving them some consistency at the position for a change.
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