Lions lock up OT Penei Sewell with long-term extension

DETROIT — Hours after agreeing to a long-term extension with All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Detroit Lions locked up another cornerstone from the team's 2021 draft class, coming to terms on a four-year extension with offensive tackle Penei Sewell, a source close to the negotiations confirmed to The Detroit News.

The pact is worth up to $112 million with $85 million in guarantees. That would make the 23-year-old Sewell the highest-paid player at his position, by annual average value, easily topping the $25 million per year package signed by Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil last offseason.

Sewell, the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, was the first selection of general manager Brad Holmes' tenure. Despite starting just one year at Oregon, and opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, Sewell had minimal issues making an immediate impact as a rookie.

"I can’t say enough great things about Sewell," Lions coach Dan Campbell said ahead of last season. "There’s a reason why he was the first pick we had two years ago, because we wanted to build around a guy like him. He’s our foundation. He’s one of those pillars that we talk about.

"I mean he is something else," Campbell said. "He’s a man on a mission. I feel like we’re a team on a mission, but he is a man on a mission. You talk about being wired right, a guy that comes in every day, puts in the work and he’s got so much ability, but he’s got the right attitude, too, and I think that’s what makes him dangerous if you’re the opponent. ... If he loses, it bothers him, bad, and that’s what you want. You want a guy who believes that there’s no way he should lose any rep, no matter who he’s playing."

Initially starting that year as a left tackle while blindside blocker Taylor Decker recovered from a broken finger, Sewell has since settled in at right tackle, a position he hadn't played before coming to Detroit.

Sewell has shown steady improvement each of his three seasons, and was graded as the league's best offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus last season, earning career-high marks as both a run blocker and pass protector. In 2023, he allowed just 20 quarterback pressures and a single sack. For his early-career dominance, he's twice been named to the Pro Bowl and was selected as a first-team All-Pro last season.

"He was already one of the top tackles in the league, in my opinion, after year two, and he’s really taken it to another level, particularly in the run game," offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said late last season. "There was some techniques that we asked him to try that he hadn’t tried. We always compare him with (49ers offensive tackle) Trent Williams out there in San Fran. That guy is on another level, and we think Penei can be that same type of player."

Despite his young age, Sewell also has rapidly emerged as a leader on Detroit's roster. He was selected by his teammates as a captain last year and routinely breaks down with pregame huddle with fiery speeches.

"They voted him captain and you can see that’s where he’s grown," Campbell said in November. "He is much more comfortable, and he leads by the way that he plays, but also by the words that he speaks too. He’s very much — he’s kind of an energy guy for us. He brings attitude to what we are offensively. To me, collectively, man, you think of that O-line that we got with guys like him, and then on the perimeter, guys like Saint (St. Brown), I mean that’s who we are, that’s our attitude."