Detroit Lions: Will Bob Quinn pay Darius Slay or send him packing?

Now the biggest difference between ‘Snacks’ and Slay has been the fact that Harrison has been very quiet while Slay has taken to social media. Presumably to convince the world that despite being one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the league he deserves more money. Which is generally a losing proposition.

That doesn’t mean Lions fans don’t want Slay back in the fold this year, but it doesn’t exactly inspire the warm and fuzzies seeing him tell the world that he is fine with the idea of trying to hold Bob Quinn, Matt Patricia and all of his teammates hostage until he gets what he wants.

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Heading into a season where the Lions have expectations from ownership to start looking like the championship team they hired both Quinn and Patricia to build, losing any of their top players can be devastating.

So right now we have a very high stakes poker game going on in Detroit. Bob Quinn will most likely try to convince Harrison and Slay that he would be willing to negotiate next offseason, which would be reasonable since they will both be entering the final year of their contracts.

Meanwhile, Rosenhaus is probably fueling the fire saying that it can’t wait. Rosenhaus is also most likely going to spin-doctor any and all counter moves by Quinn when reporting back to his clients to serve that same purpose of getting those deals done now.

Ultimately unless we suddenly get an update that one side or the others poker face didn’t work, the real answer will probably come on July 25th. If Slay decides not to report as he has hinted at, then what will Quinn’s reaction be? Will he hold fast and allow Slay and possibly Harrison to hold out? Will he send them packing in an attempt to eliminate this problem? Or will he cave in and pay them?

Whatever the reaction is will determine the course the Lions will most likely take this season. If Slay and Harrison sit out, then barring big performances by the ‘next man up’, the defense will take a big step backward and will need to be carried by an offense with question marks. If he meets their demands, then the flood gates could fly open with players who would now realize they can re-negotiate their contracts whenever they want.

It’s the old Mexican standoff, with Bob Quinn trying to do his best Clint Eastwood impression while Rosenhaus has his six-shooter aimed directly at Martha Firestone Ford’s purse and Mrs. Ford has Quinn and Patricia in her sights expecting to see big improvements.

As always, things will eventually get resolved one way or the other, but will the results work in the Lions favor? Will Bob Quinn ride into the training camp sunset in victory on a horse with no name or will Lions fans see everything explode in his face causing another forgettable year of Detroit Lions football? To quote Clint Eastwood from Dirty Harry, ‘Do you feel lucky, punk?’