Detroit Lions: Eric Ebron’s name has been in trade talks, per report
By Zac Snyder
Eric Ebron is under contract to the Detroit Lions on his fifth-year option but that is no guarantee he actually returns. His name has been in trade talks.
Eric Ebron is set to return for a fifth year with the Detroit Lions but whether or not that actually happens is apparently still to be determined. The Lions picked up Ebron’s fifth-year option last offseason and there hasn’t been any indication they would pull the plug before that became guaranteed.
While the contract doesn’t appear to be in doubt, who actually pays on it may be.
The new league year begins next week. That not only opens up free agency for players whose contracts expired, it also means trades can be completed for the first time since the trade deadline last season. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ebron’s name was one that came up in trade talks in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine.
A name to watch in coming days: Lions’ TE Eric Ebron, whose name surfaced in trade discussions at last weekend’s combine, per league source. Lions were listening.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2018
Perhaps the most interesting thing in Schefter’s report is the way he says the Lions are listening. Maybe it is reading too much into the report but it seems to suggest the Lions are being called about Ebron more than they are actively calling around trying to find a taker.
Ebron took notice with the following reaction on twitter.
https://twitter.com/Ebron85/status/971199013826555904
The trade deadline came and went with Ebron remaining a Lion even though he was a thought to be a candidate to be on the move after a slow start. Dave Birkett adds that the Lions did field offers for Ebron at the deadline but the fact he was not moved suggests any offer that may have been on the table to be accepted wasn’t to their liking.
It was to the Lions’ benefit as Ebron was able to turn his season around to not only help his team but also to rebuild his trade value. Maybe Bob Quinn will find a better offer this time around. The question is, how good is good enough?
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It didn’t seem to take much thought for the Lions to pick up Ebron’s fifth-year option but they also don’t appear keen on making a big commitment to him. He will make $8.25 million on the option in 2018, which probably is right around market rate for a player like Ebron. That’s not prohibitive one a one year deal but might be too rich for the Lions given the ups and downs Ebron has had since Martin Mayhew made him a top-ten pick in 2014.