Detroit Lions news: Franchise tag window opens this week
By Zac Snyder
Detroit Lions news discusses the opening of the franchise tag window this week before taking a look around and what rest of the interwebs has to say.
It has been seven weeks since the Detroit Lions last played a game but the offseason is really just getting started. The NFL offseason takes a step forward this week with the opening of the franchise tag window. Teams have between February 20 and March 6 to use the franchise tag if they so desire.
The Lions haven’t used the franchise tag since 2012 when Cliff Avril drew the tag as the sides were not able to reach a long-term deal. A long-term deal never happened and Avril made his way to the Seattle Seahawks the following offseason. The franchise tag is in play for the Lions this offseason with defensive end again the position in question.
This time it is with Ziggy Ansah, the Lions’ first round pick in 2013 just as Avril was departing for Seattle. Ansah has played out his rookie contract, including the fifth-year option, and will become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year next month unless the tag is applied or he and the Lions reach an agreement on a deal that renders the tag moot. The will they/won’t they has been one of the hot topics early in this offseason, with most people believing the Lions will tag Ansah if necessary.
We can add NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal to that list of believers. He took a run through the franchise tag candidates for NFL.com, ranking the top candidates and placing them into tiers. Rosenthal doesn’t put Ansah into his “no-brainers” category, but only Le’Veon Bell and Demarcus Lawrence rank in that top category. Instead, he has Ansah belonging to the next tier of players, the “say yes” category.
Rosenthal ranks Ansah seventh overall among 2018 franchise tag candidates and offers the following with the ranking:
"After two injury-plagued seasons with sporadic bouts of brilliant play, Ansah isn’t quite the free-agent jewel he was expected to be. He might not make it to free agency anyhow. The Lions have more than $40 million in cap space, with room to clear the decks for more. Ansah, who turns 29 in May, closed out the 2017 season strong and provides a physical presence with a high ceiling. Keeping the former first-rounder would come at a monster price (roughly $17.5 million), but it’s not like the Lions can easily find a better option."
Here is a look at what other Detroit Lions news, notes, tidbits and whatnots are being discussed around the web.
More Detroit Lions news from around FanSided
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More Detroit Lions news from around the rest of the web
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Next: Most Underrated Detroit Lions in Team History
While the opening of the franchise tag window headlines this week’s NFL offseason activities, next week will be all about the 2018 NFL Combine.