Don’t put all your eggs in the receiver basket
The internet is going to freak out once Calvin Johnson retires. Facebook and Twitter will be full of “the Lions should sign Alshon Jeffrey or this guy or that guy” posts. The media will smartly feed into this as well and Mel Kiper cannot wait to mock a receiver to the Lions in the first round. He’s sitting at his computer right now just waiting to hit enter.
I’m going to be the weird guy to tell you that it’s that important and I will stick with that thought. It’s simple, if you pile all your money into trying to create another Calvin Johnson, it can only end in embarrassment. Like when shoe companies try to make their shoes look like Addias shoes with four stripes instead of three. Sure they look like Addias, but everyone knows they’re not.
Jermaine Kearse should be the ceiling for the Lions at wide receiver. Keep in mind the offensive line has already been fixed at this point. If the Lions have a balanced offense because of that, it won’t matter if they have a high priced receiver catching the ball. Just like it won’t matter if the Lions don’t fix the line. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a need. But it’s a need that’s buried below many other needs.
Next: Retain Free Agents