Breaking Down the Detroit Lions Franchise Tag Decisions

February 19, 2014   ·   Jeff Risdon   ·   Jump to comments

This is a bit of an unusual year for the Detroit Lions. Most years, there are several free agents the team strongly desires to keep in the den, and the franchise tag is one of the critical tools at its disposal to ensure that valued free agents don't get away.
This year, however, only four normal starters are unrestricted free agents eligible for either the franchise or transition tag:
Defensive end Willie Young Tight end Brandon Pettigrew Cornerback Rashean Mathis Kicker David Akers Nobody expects Akers to return to Detroit after an underwhelming season by the aging kicker.
While Mathis, Young and Pettigrew do have value to the Lions, none should command the chunk of change required by the tags. 
The franchise and transition tag values for their positions are significantly higher than what the Lions, or really any team, would be willing to pay for their services.
There's just no way that the Lions management values any of those players that highly, cert...

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