Former Tennessee offensive lineman and Knoxville native Cade Mays is officially on the move in the NFL. According to a report from NFL insider Ari Meirov on Monday afternoon, Mays is signing a three-year, $25 million free agent deal with the Detroit Lions. Mays gives Dan Campbell’s squad a solid offensive lineman with legitimate starter upside for the Lions.
Multiple reports also state that $14 million of Mays’ new deal will be guaranteed.
Mays, a Knoxville native and graduate of Knoxville Catholic, originally began his collegiate career with the Georgia Bulldogs. He spent two seasons in Athens before transferring to Tennessee for his final two seasons. He played under both Jeremy Pruitt and Josh Heupel during his time in Knoxville.
Mays started all 17 games that he appeared in for the Volunteers. He was a two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week selection, an All-SEC Third Team selection by Phil Steele, and an All-SEC Second Team selection by the AP and Coaches.
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After being invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine after the 2021 season, Mays was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He appeared in 11 games with two starts during his rookie season. Mays then appeared in 16 games with five starts during the 2023 football season. The former Vol was released by Carolina before the 2024 season and signed to the New York Giants’ practice squad that same September. Mays eventually wound up back with the Panthers in the fall of 2024 and started 12 games with the team this past season.
During the Panthers’ 2025 campaign, Mays did not give up a sack in all 726 of his snaps. He also had a run block win rate that ranked among the top 20 centers in the league, according to ESPN.
Mays was the first of two former Tennessee players to reportedly ink new deals in free agency on Monday. Former Tennessee teammate Alontae Taylor, the top free agent cornerback in the class, is reportedly signing a three-year deal to return to his home state of Tennessee and play with Robert Salah’s Tennessee Titans.
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