OL Netane Muti signs with the Detroit Lions

OL Netane Muti has reportedly been signed by the Detroit Lions to a Reserve/Future contract. The Denver Broncos originally chose 24-year-old Muti in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Muti has participated in 22 games (four starts) over his four seasons in the league. His biggest playing time came in 2021, when he was a member of the Broncos for 15 games (3 starts).

A Reserve/Futures Contract: What Is It?
As the name implies, an NFL futures contract is a deal that commits an NFL player to a team for future seasons. Since the deal technically begins at the start of the following league year, it is referred to as a “futures contract.”

This distinction is crucial since it indicates that the player’s contract has no bearing on the team’s salary cap or the number of players allowed on the roster for the current season. Rather, the player is added to the off-season 90-man roster cap and the financial terms of the contract are applied to the salary cap of the next year.

A player is placed on the reserve/futures list as soon as they sign a futures contract, which effectively stops them from negotiating with other teams. In contrast, players on the practice squad are open to being signed by other teams. A futures contract prevents the athlete from participating in team discussions with any other team, as it grants the contracting team exclusive rights over the player.

The Final Word
The Detroit Lions made a calculated bet in the future depth and talent of their offensive line when they decided to sign Netane Muti to a Reserve/Future contract. Muti’s past performance, particularly his involvement in the 2021 season, indicates that he could be a valuable addition to the team. The Lions have secured Muti’s future contributions to their team by utilizing a Reserve/Future deal. They have also prudently managed their pay cap and roster, setting themselves up for future success. This action emphasizes how crucial futures contracts are to NFL team planning and roster control tactics.

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Alex Anzalone of the Lions defends Dan Campbell’s contentious fourth-down calls.

A Lions player has publicly defended head coach Dan Campbell’s disastrous fourth-down gambles during the NFC Championship game.

In a post published in The Players Tribune, linebacker Alex Anzalone supported his head coach.

On the fourth down call, Dan had all of us behind him. Let’s start by addressing that. We would all repeat it if time could be turned back. One hundred percent of the time. The transgression. The protection. Everyone in the group. If you have followed this team’s progress over the past three seasons, you are familiar with our style of football play. You understand the mindset that led us to this point,” wrote Anzalone.

“It was the right choice, and no, I’m not talking about the right choice for talk radio, analytics, or anything else. We made the appropriate decision at that precise moment. It’s not like a video game when you’re in that circumstance, 20 games into an NFL season. You are not engaging in ‘Madden’.

“There were guys playing with their ankles in a funny way.” Men with sprained MCLs playing. Guys receiving toradol injections and nerve shots. Guys who have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. That time of year, it’s a struggle of wills. All you’re using for energy is pure faith and adrenaline.

“I believe that by denying who you are in that situation, you are betraying the very thing that brought you there.”

The Lions failed to convert both times that Campbell chose to go for it on fourth down in the second half of the NFC title game against the Niners, instead of bringing out kicker Michael Badgley.

Anzalone did, however, note that it would have been inconsistent with the Lions’ winning strategy to kick the field goal and advance to the Super Bowl.

“In that scenario, we always go for the kill on fourth down. In just a few seasons, that approach carried us from 0-10-1 to the NFC Championship game. To be really honest, if anything, when we chose to kick the

I was more shocked when they made a field goal in the first half,” the linebacker wrote.

“Detroit will always bet on Detroit when the chips are down.”

Wide receiver Josh Reynolds would have scored a touchdown on one of the Lions’ fourth-down plays if he had managed to hold onto a catchable pass from quarterback Jared Goff.

Surprisingly enough, on fourth and goal from the Niners’ three-yard line at the end of the first half, the Lions decided to attempt a field goal instead of going for it.

After the game, Campbell told reporters that he wouldn’t have made any other decisions on the fourth-down calls.

It’s simple in retrospect. I understand. I understand that, but it’s difficult, and I don’t regret those choices,” he remarked.

It’s difficult since we fell through and things didn’t work out, but I don’t. And I know I’ll be under a lot of criticism because that’s part of the job, but it didn’t work out.

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“Observe the figures,” the Lions host asserts. Justin Jefferson is trailed by Amon-Ra St. Brown.

“Like, this Justin Jefferson that you all love and worship, [Amon-Ra St. Brown is] further along at this point in his career.”

Peak ‘offseason takes’ season is among us before the NFL offseason has even formally started.

On Monday, Neal Ruhl of Woodward Sports Network offered a sharp analysis, stating that at this stage of his career, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is “far ahead of almost any wide receiver ever,” including Justin Jefferson.

“Amon-Ra St. Brown is currently better than practically any wide receiver in history at this stage of his career. Ever,” Ruhl remarked. “Justin Jefferson, the man you all like and revere, is further advanced in his career right now. Examine the figures.”

For the uninitiated, Woodward Sports Network is a digital sports media brand covering Detroit sports. They have 94,000 followers on X and 62,000 subscribers on YouTube.

When actually looking at the numbers, you can clearly see how Jefferson dwarfs St. Brown in pretty much every category through their respective first three years in the league.

It’s not even close, I guess. At the end of their respective third seasons, Jefferson had 1,237 more yards than St. Brown. St. Brown’s 73.2 yards per game pales in comparison to Jefferson’s 96.5 yards per game.

Jefferson actually set records over his first three seasons. Records that were owned by Randy Moss and Odell Beckham Jr. For the first three seasons of his career, Jefferson’s 324 receptions, 4,825 yards, and 96.5 yards per game are the highest of any player in NFL history.

What about the prizes now that we know the baseline metrics aren’t close? Jefferson was selected for the first team All-Pro and the second team All-Pro three times throughout his Pro Bowl career. St. Brown has one first team All-Pro and two invites to the Pro Bowl.

Once more, it’s not even close. And we forgot to mention Jefferson’s third-season honor as Offensive Player of the Year, during which he was nominated for the league MVP title as well.

Ruhl continued when his co-host tried to push back against the hot take.

“Amon-Ra St. Brown gets overlooked because he doesn’t catch the 60-yard deep ball,” Ruhl lobbied. “That’s why. That’s the only reason why. It’s not that he’s an inferior receiver. He is not. It’s the nature of his game and the nature of what he’s asked to do in the offense. And he does it as good as anybody in the National Football League. I’ll back that up. Could Justin Jefferson do Amon-Ra St. Brown’s role as well as Amon-Ra St. Brown?”

So the Lions’ seldom long passes are the ONLY reason St. Brown has fewer yards? And Jefferson, who ran shorter courses than St. Brown, couldn’t dominate?