DETROIT – The Detroit Lions have made their first big move of the offseason, releasing the longest-tenured defensive back on the roster.
Tracy Walker III was the team’s third-round pick in 2018 and has spent the past six seasons in Detroit, playing in 79 games. But on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, the Lions announced that Walker has been released.
Walker signed a three-year, $25 million extension to stay with the Lions after his rookie contract expired following the 2021 season. He tore his Achilles during the 2022 season and came back this year to find the defensive backfield much more crowded -- primarily at the safety position, with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and Kerby Joseph battling for snaps.
Walker earned six starts after Gardner-Johnson injured his pectoral in the second game of the season, but his role shrunk with the emergence of both Melifonwu and Joseph as playmakers.
The Lions made their first run to the NFC Championship Game in decades, and while they’re not expected to be overly active in free agency, they’ll soon need to lock up many of their key contributors long-term.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell seem like candidates to receive contract extensions this offseason, and Aidan Hutchinson might be the headliner next year. If the Lions want to find money for all these key pieces, difficult decisions have to be made elsewhere on the roster.
Walker is 29 years old and enters free agency with three interceptions, 23 passes defended, and 398 total tackles in his career.
