Avril Franchised!

Evidently the Lions didn't get a contract worked out to the satisfaction of themselves and Cliff, so, they tagged him, today. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] did not want to lose defensive end [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Detroit placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Avril on Monday,
the last day the team could prevent him from becoming an unrestricted
free agent and hitting the market next week.



[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Cliff Avril remains a key part of the Lions' defense. (AP Photo) The non-exclusive tag allows other teams to negotiate with Avril,
but gives the Lions the option of matching the offer or letting him go
in exchange for two first-round picks from the team that signs him.

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If Avril doesn't sign a long-term deal with the Lions or another
team before July 15, he will have a one-year contract with the Lions for
$10.6 million — the average of the five highest-paid players at his
position.

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew had said he didn't plan to use
the franchise tag and Avril made it clear he didn't want it.

Avril, 25, has 19.5 sacks the past two seasons and 30 in his
four-year career. He was a third-round pick out of Purdue in the 2008
NFL Draft.



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This following paragraph was supposed to be in the last post of mine. It was supposed to be the second paragraph. The non-exclusive tag allows other teams to negotiate with Avril, but
gives the Lions the option of matching the offer or letting him go in
exchange for two first-round picks from the team that signs him.

This is not a good start to FA though things can change rapidly. At this point though the Lions would go into the season with 5 guys taking up half of their cap space.

I'm not a fan of this franchise tag but Mayhew can easily remove my worries if he can get a decent deal in place for Avril by 3/13. If he doesn't get that deal and a CJ deal done it will be tough to hang onto Tulloch and Wright and little money available to sign any new FAs. Keep in mind that a tight cap situation also limits trade possibilities. Guys like Sims and Corey Wiliams are much harder to get with a 5th rounder if the team doesn't have the cap space to take on the contract.

I tell you...this is the most important two weeks in trying to advance the Lions from being a playoff contender to being a SB contender. It won't get easier with Suh and Stafford coming up for new contracts in the next two years. If I had to make a guess now, the Lions may be taking a step back before taking the next step forward.