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Graham Glasgow is returning to the Detroit Lions, 3 years after leaving in free agency

dave birkett, detroit free press
·2 min read

He never wanted to leave the Detroit Lions when he was a free agent three years ago, and now Graham Glasgow is coming home.

Glasgow agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions on Thursday, rejoining the team that made him a third-round pick out of Michigan in 2016. ESPN reported the deal is worth up to $4.5 million.

"So happy to be coming back home to Detroit! I'm excited to get to work and play some ball," Glasgow posted on Twitter on Thursday.

Glasgow played guard and center and started most of his four seasons with the Lions, playing as part of a guard rotation in 2019, before the team let him walk in free agency when his rookie deal expired.

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Glasgow, 30, played both positions again with the Denver Broncos, starting 33 games the past thre seasons. He was released this week.

"Now that I’ve had a few days to think, I’d like to thank the Broncos, my teammates, and the city of Denver for the past 3 seasons," Glasgow wrote Monday on Twitter. "While I’m disappointed in how some things went and how things ended, I’m appreciative and grateful for my time here. Excited for what comes next!"

Graham Glasgow, who left the Lions to sign a 4-year, $44 million deal with the Broncos in 2020, is returning to Detroit.
Graham Glasgow, who left the Lions to sign a 4-year, $44 million deal with the Broncos in 2020, is returning to Detroit.

The Lions return four of five starters on their offensive line: Left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Jonah Jackson, center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell.

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Glasgow, who started alongside Decker and Ragnow in 2018-19, should compete for the starting right guard job this fall and provide insurance for Ragnow at center.

Evan Brown, who started 24 games the past two seasons at guard and center for the Lions, agreed to a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday.

Halapoulivaati Vaitai, the Lions' starting right guard in 2021, remains under contract for now. Vaitai missed all of last season with a back injury and faces an uncertain future with a $9.4 million contract for 2023.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions re-sign OL Graham Glasgow after leaving 3 years ago