Lions announce the signing of 11 players to Reserve/Futures contracts

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions announced the signing of 11 players to Reserve/Futures contracts on Tuesday. All of the players either finished the season on Detroit's practice squad or injured reserve, via the practice squad.

The group consists of linebacker Mitchell Agude, wide receiver Maurice Alexander, guard Matt Farniok, running back Jake Funk, offensive tackle Connor Galvin, cornerback Craig James, running back Jermar Jefferson, safety Brandon Joseph, wide receiver Tom Kennedy, guard Michael Niese and defensive tackle Chris Smith.

From that group, only Galvin and Joseph saw playing time for the Lions this season. The two undrafted rookies combined for 21 special-teams snaps.

NFL players that end the season on a team's roster, including pending free agents, remain under contract until the start of the next league year in mid-March. Meanwhile, practice-squad players are free agents as soon as the season ends. A Reserve/Futures deal is a contract that doesn't go into effect until the start of the next league year. They are typically non-guaranteed contracts for the league minimum.

Once the new league starts, Reserve/Futures deals convert to standard contracts and the players then count toward the team's 90-man offseason roster, as well as the team's salary-cap calculation.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers