The Detroit Lions have decided to bolster their secondary on the free agent market with a familiar face for their fan base and to the Kansas City Chiefs with the signing of cornerback Mike Hughes. Doug Kyed had the initial report.
The initial terms of the deal were for a reported $3.5 million for a single season.
Hughes began his career with the Minnesota Vikings as a former first-round pick back in the 2018 NFL Draft. From there, he went on to play against Detroit twice each season in the NFC North for three seasons before coming to Kansas City via trade a year ago,
Former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes has found a new home with the Lions.
The Chiefs have now lost two of their better corners from last year in Hughes and Charvarius Ward, by far the bigger of the two losses. However, both players leave a bigger hole in a secondary that’s also traded Tyrann Mathieu for Justin Reid in free agency. Since Chris Lammons is also off the roster, the Chiefs have a few slots for someone to step in, likely via free agency and the draft combined.
Hughes was a solid addition for general manager Brett Veach last season and he only cost a simple move back of a single round in the NFL Draft. The Chiefs dealt a 6th round pick for Hughes and a 7th, but the Vikings were just happy to get something knowing they would likely release him if the Chiefs hadn’t offered up a reward of some kind.
Hughes played in all 17 games for the Chiefs last season and even started 5 of them. He had 6 pass deflections and 1 interception to go with 47 total tackles. He also added value on special teams as a part-time returner for punts and kicks.