Detroit Lions and LB DeAndre Levy agree to multi-year deal, according to source

Posted Mar 6, 2013

Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew told reporters in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine last month that the team would aggressively pursue nine of their respective 23 unrestricted free agents.

The team re-signed offensive tackle Corey Hilliard last week, and now add linebacker DeAndre Levy to that list of the nine.

The Lions and Levy agreed to terms on a new multi-year contract, according to league sources. Specifics of the deal were not known.

The Lions drafted Levy in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft (76th overall) and he started 10 games as an outside linebacker as a rookie with 61 tackles and an interception.

He moved over to the middle in 2010 and started all 11 games he played in that year with 72 tackles.

Levy had his finest season in 2011, when he moved back outside after the signing of Stephen Tulloch. He recorded his first 100-tackle season (109) as the Lions won 10 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

He played on a one-year restricted free agent tender last year and recorded 82 tackles in 14 games.

Levy is a tough, young linebacker whose versatility within the Lions' scheme is an asset they didn’t want to take a chance on losing. In 57 career games, he has 348 tackles, five interceptions and has defended 17 passes.

With Levy now under contract, the Lions have two-thirds of their starting linebacker corps signed through 2013. Justin Durant is still scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent March 12.

It's unclear what this signing means for Durant's future in Detroit. The Lions have already re-signed reserve linebacker Ashlee Palmer and have second-year players Tahir Whitehead and Travis Lewis waiting in the wings.