NFL Free Agency: Isaiah Buggs to re-sign with Detroit Lions on two-year deal

After putting together his most productive season in the NFL, defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs is set to cash in on NFL free agency.

According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the former Alabama lineman is re-signing with the Lions on a two-year deal worth up to $6 million.

Buggs spent his first three seasons in the league with the Pittsburgh Steelers before he was cut. The Las Vegas Raiders picked him up in early 2022, but he was later cut and the Detroit Lions picked him up in the summer.

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The pickup by the Lions proved to be an excellent move. Buggs went on to record 44 tackles, a sack and two passes defended for the Lions while playing in all 17 games.

The 6-foot-5 tackle out of Louisiana was a sixth-round draft pick coming off of a productive career for the Crimson Tide. He went No. 192 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

More on the 2023 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2023 calendar year is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET on March 15 when contracts running through 2022 will officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7. Beginning March 13 through March 15 teams will be allowed a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 21 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets while April 26 marks the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets. 722 players are slated to become free agents in 2023.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match that round pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.