Lions’ Avril May Hold Out If He Gets Franchise Tag

Added on Feb 19, 2012 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

The NFL Super Bowl is just barely behind us and already the ugly side of pro football is already starting to raise its head with players and management bracing for ugly contract negotiations. One of the ugliest could happen in Detroit where defensive end Cliff Avril wants a long term contract. Lions’ management is contemplating giving him the ‘franchise’ tag and Avril is threatening to hold out if that should occur.

The franchise tag would give Avril a one-year deal for the average of the five highest-paid defensive ends, effectively keeping him off the market and buying them some time to decide whether or not to make a long term commitment. And Avril isn’t happy about that possible scenario:

“There’s a lot of different possibilities, and that’s one of the possibilities — not showing up. But we don’t know. That’s not the plan, obviously. But there’s a lot of different possibilities, and that’s definitely one of them.”

Avril says he wants the security of a long term contract:

“I don’t want to be franchised. That’s basically what I got last year. The (restricted free-agent) tender was basically the same thing. I just want security and longevity.”

Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew has said ‘on the record’ that he doesn’t plan to use the franchise tag on Avril, but reports citing ‘unnamed sources’ indicate that’s an option if the Lions are unable to work out a long term deal. The Lions want to keep Avril longterm but according to his agent, Brian Mackler, the negotiations are moving along slowly:

“Talks are going very slowly.”

Avril is coming off the best year of his career in 2011. He recorded 11 sacks and forced six fumbles in his fourth year in the league. The 25 year old Avril now has 30 sacks in 57 career NFL games. Avril was chosen in the third round of the 2008 draft out of Purdue. After playing only four games in the Lions 0-16 season he’s quickly matured into one of the best pass rushing linemen in the NFL and an important component of Detroit’s rapidly improving defense. He’s the type of player that a team can build around, but from Detroit’s perspective they have to make sure ‘the price is right’.