Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones has joined a new team ahead of the 2025 season. The veteran wide receiver officially signed with the New Orleans Saints on Monday.
The fourth-year wideout attended the Saints’ rookie minicamp as a veteran tryout player last weekend in hopes of competing for a spot on the 90-man roster. Peoples-Jones is excited about the opportunity to play with the Saints after spending the 2024 season on the Lions’ practice squad.
“Thank you to the New Orleans Saints for this new opportunity #WhoDat #Saints I’m very excited and grateful!!” Peoples-Jones posted on Twitter.
Thank you to the New Orleans Saints for this new opportunity! #WhoDat #Saints I’m very excited and grateful!! pic.twitter.com/mJ5MOJOWPY
— Donovan Peoples-Jones (@dpeoplesjones) May 12, 2025
Donovan Peoples-Jones Happy to Be With Saints
This is a fantastic opportunity for Peoples-Jones, who did not do much in his short stint with the Lions. Detroit acquired the former Michigan Wolverines pass catcher from the Cleveland Browns in October 2023.
In eight games with the Lions, the Detroit, Michigan native had five receptions (seven targets) for 58 yards. Peoples-Jones’ drop-off in production from what he did his first three years with the Browns, not including the first half of the 2023 season, was stark.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Lions released Peoples-Jones ahead of the 53-man roster deadline last August. However, Detroit did not waste any time bringing him back, signing the veteran wide receiver immediately to the practice squad.
Aforementioned, Peoples-Jones did not see any regular-season snaps during the 2024 campaign as the Lions found success with veteran Tim Patrick, who cemented himself in the WR3 role. Patrick was also on the practice cut after being cut by the Denver Broncos at the end of the preseason.
Even though things didn’t work out with his hometown team, Peoples-Jones is getting a chance to join a Saints’ squad with a new head coach that could use additional veteran weapons for whomever is starting at quarterback this upcoming season. Let’s see if the former Lion makes the most of this newfound opportunity.