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Get Ready for a Splash
Martin Mayhew, for all his faults, was always a shrewd general manager. He never went for the big named signings and never brought players in just for their face factor. Sure, he made some mistakes, but he listened to his scouts and personnel managers and made choices based on what they believed to be the best signings rather than just the jersey sellers. Golden Tate and James Ihedigbo are good examples of players brought in at better than market value instead of more noisy options.
Much of that, at least early in Mayhew’s tenure, was by necessity, though it later became design. Nobody wanted to play in Detroit back in 2009 and 2010, and the football culture in Detroit was putrid. You’d expect that given the previous decade, but things aren’t that way in 2016. The team has prime free agent money and is a desirable location for players looking both to make a name for themselves and to finish out their careers on a high note.
With two of the best Detroit Lions defenders nearing the end of their contracts, you can expect a new general manager to start off his Lions career by putting those contracts in the rear view and extending Darius Slay and Ezekiel Ansah. At least one highly drafted player is likely gone, possibly two (Pettigrew, Reiff), and the free agent market is going to be an interesting one to follow since it wont’ be just about upkeep anymore. It took way longer than it should have, and he isn’t around to enjoy it, but Tom Lewand finally freed up the Detroit Lions books for future team spending.
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