Detroit Lions just made Johnson Bademosi the highest-paid NFL special teams player

Bademosi’s years of hard work are paying off in a big way.

By Jonathan Bradley @Jon_Bradley

Oct 4, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Johnson Bademosi (24) and outside linebacker Armonty Bryant (95) celebrate a missed field goal by San Diego Chargers kicker Josh Lambo
Robert Hanashiro

The Detroit Lions signed former Browns cornerback Johnson Bademosi to a two-year deal Thursday worth up to $6 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, making him the highest-paid special-teams coverage player in the NFL.

And while it seems like another Detroit-being-Detroit move, it’s not.

Bademosi, a Stanford graduate, has worked his way up from undrafted free agent to one of the best special teams players in the league. He racked up 61 special-teams tackles during his four seasons in Cleveland, was named a Pro Bowl alternate this past season and a second-team All-NFL by the folks over at Pro Football Focus after his rookie season.

Bademosi was also coveted by a few other teams before deciding to sign with the Lions, whose special teams unit ranked 17th in opponent kickoff return yards and 18th in opponent punt return yards.

Is one of the best gunners in the league worth $6 million over two years? Only time will tell. But given Bademosi’s history, it doesn’t appear the Lions are throwing money into the wind this time around.