Veteran defensive back Avonte Maddox will continue hunting for his next Super Bowl ring with the Detroit Lions next season.
The Lions announced on social media Monday the team re-signed Maddox for the 2026 NFL season. Maddox joined the Lions last offseason after seven years with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maddox won the Super Bowl with Philadelphia during his final game with the franchise.
In seven seasons with the Eagles, Maddox posted 270 combined tackles, including 13 for loss over 81 games. He also had 36 pass defenses, eight forced fumbles, eight quarterback hits, four interceptions and three sacks.
Maddox started 41 regular season games in Philadelphia. He also started six playoff games for the Eagles.
Maddox played seven defensive snaps and 14 snaps on special teams for Philadelphia in the Super Bowl victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2025. He had one pass defense in that contest.
Eagles Ex-Defensive Back Avonte Maddox Re-Joins Lions
Despite Maddox’s long tenure in Philadelphia, the Eagles allowed the veteran defensive back to test free agency last March. About three weeks into NFL free agency, the defensive back signed with the Lions.
Because of injuries, Maddox became a key member of the Detroit secondary last season. So, it’s really no surprise the Lions wanted Maddox to return.
Interestingly, the veteran mostly played free safety for Detroit in 2025. Maddox played just about everywhere with the Eagles, but he primarily focused in the slot from 2019-24.
Maddox played his highest amount of snaps at free safety last year for the first time since his 2018 rookie campaign.
Maddox started three of his 14 games for the Lions during 2025. He registered 32 combined tackles, four pass defenses, one forced fumble and one interception.
The Eagles drafted Maddox at No. 125 overall during the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. During his college career, Maddox starred at Pitt, posting 13.5 tackles for loss, 34 pass defenses, eight interceptions and seven sacks.
Eagles Secondary Depth Entering 2026 NFL Draft
Without Maddox last season, cornerback Cooper DeJean was the only Eagles defensive back to play more than 100 snaps at nickel during 2025.
DeJean excels in that role, so Maddox wasn’t necessarily a major loss for Philadelphia. This offseason, though, the Eagles added veteran defensive back Jonathan Jones as slot cornerback depth.
The Eagles also made other changes to their secondary this offseason. They signed outside cornerback Riq Woolen from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
At safety, the Eagles added Marcus Epps and J.T. Gray on 1-year contracts.
Those additions came after the team lost safety Reed Blankenship in 2026 NFL free agency. Blankenship signed a 3-year, $24.75 million deal to join the Houston Texans.
The Eagles also agreed to trade veteran safety Sidney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons.
With those losses, it appeared for a time during free agency Maddox could be a candidate to return to Philadelphia. But the Eagles had ample time to try and re-sign the veteran, and there’s nothing to indicate they tried to do so.
Maddox played a career-high 730 snaps on defense for the Eagles during 2021. He posted 73 combined tackles, including five tackles for loss with nine pass defenses, two forced fumbles and one interception during that season.
Maddox lined up for 342 defensive snaps in 2025 for Detroit.
