The Lions are moving on from cornerback Jerry Jacobs, at a position of need.
Despite their dearth of talent at corner, the Lions will not tender a contract to Jacobs ahead of free agency, according to ESPN. Jacobs, who signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2021, will be looking for a new team on the open market later this month.
Jacobs started 29 games for the Lions over the last three seasons, but lost his job to Kindle Vildor late last year and was shelved for the team's playoff run by knee and thigh injuries. He did have three interceptions and eight passes defended last season, but still allowed seven touchdowns and a passer rating in coverage of 107.8, up from 74.9 (and one touchdown) the season prior.
Jacobs, 26, hinted Tuesday at the Lions' decision, tweeting, "I don’t care how hard this is I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me I’m moving on with my life."
While the Lions are letting Jacobs walk, they're re-signing corner Emmanuel Moseley, who missed all but two snaps last season after tearing an ACL for the second straight year. Moseley was originally signed to play on the outside opposite Cam Sutton, a job that went back to Jacobs when Moseley got hurt.
For now, it's once again Moseley's job to lose. The Lions will also likely fortify the corner position in free agency and the draft and perhaps via trade after allowing the second most yards per pass in the NFL last season.