The Detroit Lions are taking care of their own. Shortly after extending one first-team All-Pro on Wednesday in Amon-Ra St. Brown, the club locked up its other in Penei Sewell. The star offensive tackle has signed a four-year, $112 million extension with Detroit, according to the NFL Network.
Can you say money well spent?
Sewell has been a cornerstone for the Lions from the moment he arrived as the first draft pick under Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes, seventh overall in 2021. Holmes was so eager to select him that night that he violated NFL rules by submitting the pick as soon as the Lions were on the clock: "I did it a little bit too early. But I just couldn’t really hold really back that excitement that we had to get him."
Nor could he restrain himself from roaring, flexing and banging tables in the Lions' war room when the pick went through. No wonder why.
Sewell, who became the youngest starting left tackle in league history in his NFL debut, is now a stalwart right tackle and the best player on one of the best offensive lines in the game, which is the engine of Detroit's success. He's also grown into a leader, voted a captain by his teammates last season -- just like St. Brown, who got a four-year extension worth more than $120 million.
St. Brown's deal makes him the NFL's highest-paid receiver, topping Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins. Sewell's deal make him the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman at $28 million per year, clearing Laremy Tunsil of the Texans by $3 million. Sewell also set a new high among offensive linemen with $85 million guaranteed, surpassing Andrew Thomas of the Giants by $18 million.
He acknowledged the news on social media:
Sewell, 23, was named the top offensive lineman in the NFL last season by Pro Football Focus. He allowed one sack on 644 pass-blocking snaps and had the highest run-blocking grade in the league. The Lions, wouldn't you know, were one of only two teams in the NFL with a top-five offense in both passing and rushing.
When Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby was asked this offseason to name the toughest offensive lineman he's faced in the NFL, he said Sewell and fellow first-team All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Trent Williams.
"They were like straight -- it was just war every play," said Crosby. "Those two dudes, Trent Williams is massive, Penei Sewell, big-ass -- he’s big as hell, but he’s athletic and strong and he’s tough as hell."
Sewell has one year remaining on his rookie deal that carries a $7.6 million cap hit in 2024 and included a $19 million club option for 2025. Now he's locked up through 2028.