A former Purdue linebacker whose playoff heroics helped send the Lions to their first NFC Championship Game in over three decades.
Derrick Barnes has grown from a fourth-round developmental piece into one of Detroit's most trusted defenders, delivering one of the biggest plays in franchise history along the way. He remains a core part of the Lions' linebacker corps after signing a lucrative extension.
Path to the league
Barnes started at linebacker for Purdue, leading the Boilermakers with 54 tackles as a senior and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. The Detroit Lions drafted him in the fourth round, 113th overall, in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Barnes's signature moment came on January 21, 2024, when he intercepted a fourth-quarter pass against Tampa Bay to seal a Divisional Round win and send the Lions to their first NFC Championship Game since 1991. He signed a three-year, $25.5 million extension with Detroit in March 2025.
2025 season recap
Barnes had a career year in 2025, starting all 17 games and setting personal highs with 78 combined tackles, 4.0 sacks and 6 tackles for loss, while also recording his first interception of the season.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Derrick Barnes (American football)
- Pro Football Reference: Derrick Barnes
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | lions | 17 | 78 | 40 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | lions | 3 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | lions | 16 | 81 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | lions | 15 | 47 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | lions | 17 | 67 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Purdue
- Hometown
- Covington, KY, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
