Advertisement

Ex-Patriots LB Jamie Collins agrees to three-year, $30 million deal with ex-Patriots brain trust in Detroit

Pro Bowl linebacker Jamie Collins is once again leaving the New England Patriots. However, he’s headed to a destination with plenty of familiar faces this time.

Collins is in agreement with the Detroit Lions on a three-year, $30 million deal with $18 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The move will reunite Collins with Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who was New England’s defensive coordinator during Collins’ first tenure with the Patriots.

Lions continue to become Patriots West

Of course, Patricia isn’t the only person Collins will be familiar with in Detroit. Lions general manager Bob Quinn spent 15 years in the Patriots’ front office before getting hired.

On the roster, defensive end Trey Flowers, wide receiver Danny Amendola and cornerback Justin Coleman all played alongside Collins at some point in New England.

In Collins, the Lions are receiving an outside linebacker who tallied 81 tackles, three interception, seven passes defended and a career-high seven sacks last season. Collins was a Pro Bowler in 2015, but was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a third-round pick a year later with his free agency impending.

The Browns gave Collins a four-year, $50 million extension after picking him up, but dropped him two years later. Collins then went back to the Patriots on a one-year deal, re-established his value and landed with the Patriots-heavy Lions, so a thank you card to Bill Belichick might be in order.

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2019, file photo, New England Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins moves in on the action during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns,in Foxborough, Mass. Despite showing some vulnerability in their loss to the Ravens, the Patriots' defense remains one of the NFL's best heading into the second half of 2019.(AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)
Jamie Collins is familiar with plenty of members of the Lions organization. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)

More from Yahoo Sports: