The Detroit Lions will use their franchise tag on free agent defensive end Ziggy Ansah, keeping him in Detroit for another year at the cost of $17.5 million.
On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions designated free agent defensive end Ziggy Ansah as the player they intend to use their franchise tag on for 2018. This means, once Ansah signs the tender, he’ll be under contract with the Lions for this season. The tag will cost Detroit a whopping $17.5 million.
I believe using the franchise tag on Ansah was the best choice for Detroit for several reasons. The first reason being a lack of other options. There appears to be a sever lack of quality pass rushers scheduled to become available when the free agency market opens next month. In fact, if the Lions had released Ansah, he’d likely be the top pass rusher available. Last season, Ziggy recorded 44 total tackles and 12.0 sacks.
Due to Ansah’s inconsistent play and injury history, signing Ziggy to a long-term deal simply doesn’t make sense for Detroit right now. Allowing the 28-year old to play another season under the franchise tag gives the Lions more time to make that decision.
For now, Ansah is the best pass rusher on the depth chart. But he is also closely approaching that 30-year old milestone. By this time next year, Detroit may feel very different about their aging pass rusher.
Finally, if the Lions were to sign Ansah to a long-term deal today, the $17.5 million they are forking over this season due to the tag is commiserate with what they would have to pay out in a long-term deal anyway.
Top flight pass rushers around the NFL are earning a similar figure every season. Case in point, the New York Giants signed Olivier Vernon to a five-year, $85 million contract in 2016. The Dallas Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence is expected to receive a similar deal this offseason.
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For 2018, the Detroit Lions have secured their elite pass rusher. By doing so, they’ve bought themselves more time to decide if they truly want to ink Ziggy Ansah to a long-term deal or not. And for Ezekiel himself, he has another season to prove he can be the player he was back in 2015, when he recorded a career high 14.5 sacks and received his first Pro Bowl nomination.