DJ Hayden, Lions Reportedly Agree to 1-Year Contract | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Emma Valentine
Published Mar 23, 2026
Cornerback D.J. Hayden has spent his entire career with the Oakland Raiders, but he will look to turn things around in 2017 with a new team.
Lions cornerback Darius Slay welcomed Hayden to Detroit:
Darius Slay @_bigplayslay23Welcome to the family bra @_Go_DJ_
Hayden entered the league in 2013 as a first-round pick but has struggled with physical setbacks in his career. He played just eight games as a rookie and 10 in 2014, and he was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a hamstring injury after 11 games in 2016.
He had solid production in 2015 comparatively, but the stats don't jump off the page, especially considering the expectations that surrounded him as a first-round pick:
| D.J. Hayden's Career Stats | ||||
| 2013 | 8 | 25 | 1 | 2 |
| 2014 | 10 | 47 | 1 | 10 |
| 2015 | 16 | 70 | 1 | 8 |
| 2016 | 11 | 37 | 0 | 6 |
| ESPN.com | ||||
Jerry McDonald of the Mercury News did point out Hayden demonstrated some improvement as a slot corner in 2016, but he led the Raiders with 12 penalties. Oakland led the league in penalties, per Kevin Boilard of CBS Sports.
Josh Dubow of the Associated Press noted Hayden committed as many penalties (35) as interceptions, sacks, passes defended, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries combined in his four seasons with the Raiders.
Largely because of those penalties, Pro Football Focus gave Hayden a grade of just 48.6 in its free-agency tracker, which was 44th among cornerbacks.
Hayden had enough talent to merit a first-round pick coming out of Houston, and he is still just 26 years old. The potential is there to be an impact player, especially if he can cut down on the penalties and demonstrate some of the solid play he flashed in the nickel in 2016.
If that happens, he can be a serviceable piece in his new team's secondary.
Detroit has a strong No. 1 corner in Slay, but bringing in some competition for fellow starter Nevin Lawson is a move that could pay dividends.
Hayden could also be used in the nickel or dime role Quandre Diggs held down over the past two seasons.
Although Hayden hasn't been as good as advertised, the "prove it" nature of the one-year deal makes it a worthwhile gamble for a Lions team in need of secondary depth.
