UPDATE, 2:55 PM: ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that the deal is for four years.
The Detroit Lions and linebacker DeAndre Levy have come to terms on a contract extension of the long-term variety, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The team has not yet announced the deal.
Over the past six season, Levy, 28, has become one of the best weakside linebackers in the league. He finished last season with 151 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception and five passes defensed as he helped propel the Lions to a playoff berth. In 2013 Levy, a former third-round pick, finished second in the league in interceptions with six and he then proceeded to lead the league last season in solo tackles with 117.
Detroit GM Martin Mayhew indicated on Tuesday that talks between the team and Levy's representatives were "ongoing," per ESPN.
"He's a phenomenal talent," Mayhew said. "We want to have him around. We're not trying to get him on the cheap."
Levy isn't just a talent on the field though, he's also a risk-taker off of it. His offseason has included wing-walking, hiking a volcano and traveling to the farthest corners of the globe. While there is language in Levy's previous deal that dictates what he can and cannot do, Mayhew indicated the team wouldn't include anything more restrictive in a new contract.
"He has to live his own life," Mayhew said. "I can't dictate that for him. He knows the repercussions if things go bad with that."
Levy was set to make $3.5 million in 2015, the final year of a three-year, $9.75 million contract, prior to the new deal.
