Haloti Ngata
Will Haloti Ngata play Sunday? Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Ngata is a player that I pegged to leave in 2016 over the summer. The Lions have not yet worked out a deal with the former Baltimore Raven and probably never will. Two simple reasons stand out the most as to why Ngata doesn’t fit into the retention plan.
Why would he want to stay? It’s an honest question with an honest answer. Here’s a guy that for the most part has played for a winning franchise his entire career, even capturing a Super Bowl ring in 2012. At the age of 31, Ngata doesn’t have much time left in the NFL. But he is still useful to a degree. If you’re in his shoes, why not sign with a contender and try to win one more title before you rid off into the sunset.
On the other hand why would the Lions want to keep him? As I mentioned before, Ngata is 31 years old. This coming January that 31 turns into a 32. While Ngata hasn’t performed up to standards thus far, he’ll likely still want a decent amount of money to stay in Detroit if he in fact decides to stick around. With the cap space the Lions have going into offseason, and the amount of draft picks they’ve been able to gather, there’s no reason to hold on to Ngata.
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