According to Mlive.com, the Lions have reached an agreement with former Steelers’ linebacker Larry Foote, who will play middle linebacker for them next season.

Foote, who turns 29 next month, is hoping to eventually sign a more lucrative contract after this season turned down the two-year offer.

Foote, a seven-year veteran, was a full-time starter for the Steelers for the last five seasons and didn’t miss a game during that span. Foote’s tackling numbers have declined in each of the last four years, from a high of 102 in 2005 to 63 last season.

Now we know why Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew passed on a middle linebacker with the No. 20 and No. 33 picks in last month’s draft when USC’s Rey Maualuga and Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis were still on the board. Mayhew knew that the Steelers would eventually release Foote and that he wanted to come to Detroit, which is where he grew up and attended high school.

Mayhew has done a nice job in his first offseason with the Lions. He added talent via the draft in quarterback Matthew Stafford, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and safety Louis Delmas and he has signed quality role players in free agents Grady Jackson, Philip Buchanon and now Foote. Whether or not all of his moves will pan out is still up in the air, but Lion fans have to at least be pleased that Mayhew has a plan and is executing it.

When Matt Millen was finally relieved of his general manager duties last year, Lion fans had a renewed sense of hope. Even though Martin Mayhew wasn’t a big, outside name that was coming in to save a burning franchise, Detroit fans reveled in the fact that he wasn’t Millen.

Up to this point, Mayhew’s first offseason has been relatively quiet. The Lions haven’t made any big splashes in free agency, but have added quality pieces to their defense in cornerback Phillip Buchanon and tackle Grady Jackson. The team also made it a priority to re-sign long-time veteran kicker Jason Hanson.

Much of the focus for Mayhew and the Lions revolves around the draft, where they have three selections in the first 33 picks. With major holes at quarterback, middle linebacker and offensive tackle, the Lions will essentially attempt to address two of those needs with the No. 1 and No. 20 picks.

But is Mayhew already screwing things up?

The Lions have stated all along that they wanted to get the No. 1 pick under contract before the start of the April 25 draft. So they began working with the agents of top prospects Aaron Curry, Matthew Stafford and Jason Smith roughly a week ago, and even have a even struck a deal with Curry, who is the top linebacker prospect in the draft.

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In a recent interview with Pat Kirwan on NFL Sirius Radio, Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry said he would take less money than 2008 No. 1 overall pick Jake Long if the Lions drafted with the top pick this year.

Host Pat Kirwan: “If they came to you and said, ‘We want you, and here’s the deal we want to give you,’ would you do a deal with them to be the No. 1 player in the NFL draft? … Have you thought that through in a business sense with your agent?�

Curry: “Yeah, we have actually. If they were to approach us with a deal and it is feasible, my plan is to be in camp, on time, and having fun.�

Kirwan: “Would you do a pre-draft deal to be the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 pick in the NFL draft?�
Curry: “I sure would. I sure would. No doubt about it.�

Host Tim Ryan: “What if the deal was under Jake Long’s deal from last year?�
Curry: “I’d be more than happy to accept that deal.�

Kirwan: “Can you see yourself in a Lions uniform? Can you really see that?�

Curry: “After my visit to Detroit, I felt very comfortable with the coaching staff and the management. And, you know, they made the new changes to the logo which I fell in love with. And they brought in Julian Peterson ., who I’ve always been a big fan of. I see myself in that uniform, and I could also see myself playing beside Ernie Sims and Julian Peterson.�

Anyone who thinks Curry is a distant third to Matthew Stafford and Jason Smith in the running to be the No. 1 pick is dreaming. If I’ve said it once in the months leading up to the draft, I’ve said it a million times: Curry is the best prospect in the draft, he fills an immediate need for Detroit and he would come significantly cheaper than Stafford and Smith. But what it all comes down to for the Lions is whether or not they are willing to pass on a franchise-type quarterback in Stafford and whether or not they want to sink a significant amount of money into a linebacker corps that already features Sims (a former top 10 pick) and Peterson.

The Detroit Lions fully plan on signing the No. 1 pick before the NFL draft kicks off on Saturday. Who that No. 1 pick will be is the question.

General manager Martin Mayhew said today the Lions are “moving forward on getting something done� and there is a “very good� chance they will sign the No. 1 overall pick before the NFL draft starts Saturday.

“That was our plan,� Mayhew said at his pre-draft news conference. “We talked about that back at the Combine. That’s very important, and we plan on getting something done prior to making that selection.�

Mayhew said the list of candidates has “narrowed down pretty dramatically.� But he declined to name the candidates or discuss specifics.

The Lions have been talking to the agents for Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, Baylor left tackle Jason Smith and Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry.

Negotiations are more complex this year because of new rules relating to the last year of the salary cap. The Lions started preliminary negotiations with candidates in March.

Mayhew said the Lions could agree to the parameters of a deal with multiple players, but ultimately, they would agree to a deal with one player. He said they would make an announcement shortly after agreeing to terms.

This is nothing new – the Lions have said all along that they wanted to sign the No. 1 pick before the draft. But what is getting ever more interesting is the fact that this pick remains as much of a financial decision as it does drafting the right player. And if this is a financial decision for the Lions, then Aaron Curry should be their pick.

Curry is the best prospect in the draft, he would be cheaper than Stafford or Smith and he fills a need for Detroit. The only drawback in taking him No. 1 (besides the massive need at quarterback), is the fact that the Lions already have a decent amount of money wrapped up in their linebacker corps already, with former top 10 pick Ernie Sims and newly acquired Julian Peterson on the roster. Plus, even though scouts believe he can play inside, would Curry’s best position be at middle linebacker? Because that’s where he would play for the Lions.

But again, if the Lions are really putting a lot of stock into the financial hit that they’re about to take then Curry should be their guy.

The Lions recently sat down and talked with Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith.

The Lions took a break from free-agent visits Monday to meet with college prospect Jason Smith, an offensive tackle from Baylor who’s among a handful of players vying to be the No. 1 overall selection in April’s draft.

Smith arrived in Detroit on Sunday and spent most of Monday in Allen Park meeting with front-office officials and coaches.

Teams are limited to 30 private visits at their own facilities before the draft. So the Lions, with five picks among the first 82, including two first-rounders, figure to host other top candidates the coming weeks. Most draft prospects have yet to take part in pro-day workouts at their college campuses.

Despite popular belief, if a team meets with a prospect before the draft it usually is a red flag that they won’t be selecting that player. Obviously that’s not the case every single time, but teams usually don’t like to tip their hand as to which prospects they have their eyes on, so they’ll avoid those players like the plague.

But the Lions realistically have their eye on their players: Smith, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Curry. Now, there could be a sleeper prospect that people are overlooking (Eugene Monroe maybe?), but those appear to be the three players that Detroit is focusing on. That said, it would behoove them to meet with all of those players since they have the No. 1 pick. Nobody selects in front of them in the first round, so it doesn’t make sense to try and throw other teams off. Plus, the Lions have said this entire time that they will negotiate a deal with the player that they will select before the draft. So who knows – maybe Smith is the pick.

Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com reports that the Lions are likely to release quarterback Jon Kitna soon.

It has been confirmed that Kitna will be owed a $1 million roster bonus shortly after the opening of free agency on Feb. 27. The source said the team, barring any unforeseen circumstances, has already decided not to pay the bonus and will release Kitna.

The Lions are still in the process of trying to find a trade partner for Kitna and that’s why Schwartz kept up appearances today when asked about him. Still, Schwartz indicated there could be some changes at the quarterback position.

If — when? — Kitna is released, the Lions will have three quarterbacks on the roster — Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton and Drew Henson. Lions president Tom Lewand said on Tuesday the Lions are still trying to work out a deal to sign Dan Orlovsky, who becomes an unrestricted free agent Feb. 27.

It’s highly doubtful the Lions find a suitor to take Kitna, so he’ll likely be cut over the next week or so. That means Detroit essentially plans on Culpepper being the starter and Stanton as a developmental backup. I highly doubt Henson makes it to the 2009 season on the roster.

This is just speculation, but cutting Kitna could mean that the Lions are preparing to select Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick in the draft. Stafford, who has the best physical tools in the draft outside of Kansas State’s Josh Freeman, could sit behind Culpepper for a season until the offensive line is rebuilt. I know some Lion fans would love to see the team draft one of the top offensive tackles (Virginia’s Eugene Monroe or Baylor’s Jason Smith) or Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, but if new GM Martin Mayhew sees a franchise-type signal caller in Stafford, he’ll likely bite.

Notable Free Agents: Dan Orlovsky, QB, Rudi Johnson, RB; Jason Hanson, K; Shaun Cody, DT; Paris Lenon, LB.

Projected 2009 Cap Space: $26,000,000

Draft Order: 1

Top Needs: A team doesn’t go 0-16 by accident. The Lions have major holes to fill at every position although offensive line, quarterback and secondary are arguably their biggest needs.

Offseason Outlook: Where do I start? This team is such an utter mess that it’s going to take new GM Martin Mayhew at least 2-3 years to rebuild the roster. And that’s assuming most of his moves pan out.

Even though it would be a long, slow process, Mayhew’s best approach would be to blow up the entire roster and start over. The two biggest problems with the Matt Millen era is that it lacked direction and he couldn’t spot talent if it fell from the sky and dropped in his lap. What Mayhew needs to do is build from the inside out and it all starts with the offensive line.

Many will argue that the Lions need a franchise starting quarterback first and foremost, but without an offensive line it won’t matter who they have under center. That’s why drafting Virginia’s Eugene Monroe with the first overall pick might be Detroit’s best move. Monroe is the type of player that could anchor the Lions’ offensive line for years to come and considering the team has a decent amount of cap space, Detroit could get a piece or two in free agency to help rebuild the offensive line as well. (Although the top available linemen – Matt Birk, Mike Goff, Mark Tauscher – are all over the age of 30.)

Even though it would pain most Lion fans to watch either Daunte Culpepper or Drew Stanton take another snap under center, the fact is that the other options aren’t that great either. The Patriots seem content to hang onto Matt Cassel and even if they weren’t, it would take multiple draft picks (multiple draft picks the Lions need to help rebuild the roster) and mucho dinero to acquire him from New England. And unless Jeff Garcia (already a failed experiment in Detroit), Rex Grossman or Kyle Boller gets your motor running, the unrestricted free agent market isn’t too promising either. In fact, the Lions’ best option at quarterback next year might still be on the roster in Jon Kitna. He was too happy with the way the team placed him on IR with a back injury midway through the season last year, but the coaching regime that made that decision isn’t in Detroit anymore. He could essentially be a solid stopgap at quarterback so the Lions could address the offensive line and defense this offseason.