Young offensive lineman signs futures contract with Detroit Lions
Netane Muti, a former offensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders, was signed by the Detroit Lions to a futures contract on Tuesday. Muti played his final games of the season with the Raiders practice squad. After the team’s season concluded, he became a free agent and could sign with any team right away because Vegas had not extended an offer for a futures contract to him.
The Denver Broncos selected Muti, 24, in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In his three seasons in Denver, Muti appeared in 20 games and started four of them, starting two at left guard and two at right guard. After being plucked by the Raiders from the Broncos practice squad in late 2022, Muti has virtually been on and off the Vegas roster and practice squad ever since.
At 307 pounds and 6 feet 3 inches, Muti can be a bit of a mauler in the run game. He was a tackle and guard in college at Fresno State, where he contributed to the Bulldogs’ successful run game, which saw them average 155.0 running yards in 2017. Nevertheless, he suffered numerous injuries throughout his time in college, including two that ended his season (in 2016 and 2018).
There are many unanswered concerns with the Lions’ guard position going into the 2024 offseason. The Lions have indicated interest in bringing back Glasgow, and during the previous offseason, they held internal negotiations about re-signing Jackson. However, all three of the prospective starters—Jonah Jackson, Graham Glasgow, and Halapoulivaati Vaitai—are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.
Nevertheless, it seems like the Lions are adding depth at the position. Michael Niese and Matt Farniok have already signed contracts with them, and it’s highly likely that Kayode Awosika will return as a free agent with exclusive rights.
In other words, when offseason training starts in April, Muti will have a lot of competition.
To date, the Lions have inked 13 players to futures contracts: DT Chris Smith, EDGE Mitchell Agude, CB Craig James, RB Jermar Jefferson, RB Jake Funk, WR Tom Kennedy, WR Maurice Alexander, WR Daurice Fountain, OT Connor Galvin, G Matt Farniok, G Netane Muti, G Michael Niese, and S Brandon Joseph.
