Scratch Levy from Lions' to-do list
(Updated 1:30 a.m. Tuesday) Updating the story on rookie contracts, DeAndre Levy's deal is done, too, his agent, Craig Domann, confirmed in an email late Monday night. Terms on the three-year deal weren't disclosed, but based on salary-slotting, it's likely worth a bit more than $1.8 million with a signing bonus of just over $600,000. (I'll post more about the Lions' strategy regarding three-year deals rather than four-year deals with second-day picks later on, in case anybody's interested.)
Another deal that's likely done but not official yet is the one for seventh-rounder Lydon Murtha. But once another deal gets signed and sealed, the Lions will be at the 80-player roster max. And then anything that gets done after that will require a player to be cut from the current roster.
A couple other items from today:
The Lions' new logo is ready for its debut on the field Saturday -- a big load of equipment arrived today, I'm told -- but the uniforms won't have a sponsorship logo at the start of training camp. The NFL for the first time is allowing teams to sell a small patch to advertisers on practice jerseys, and Lewand said the team continues to talk with potential sponsors.
"We said all along that if we do something like that, we'll do it with the right kind of partner and with the right purpose in mind," he said. "It's not just about selling a piece of real estate on a jersey, it's about creating the right kind of partnership."
The Lions also are in discussions with the Michigan Lottery on a sponsorship deal -- another revenue stream opened to teams by the league this year. But it may be too late to get a marketing campaign designed, including the team logo on scratch-off tickets, in time for the start of the season, from what I've heard. Lewand wouldn't go that far, but he did admit, "There are logistical issues, there's no question about that."
