Trey Flowers seems on his way to being done as a Detroit Lion, but he may land on his feet somewhere just fine if he is indeed cut.
In an effort to bring more of the “The Patriot Way” to Detroit, Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia brought Trey Flowers in with a five-year, $90 million contract in 2019. And he had a pretty good first season as a Lion (seven sacks, 21 quarterback hits, 35 quarterback pressures, eight tackles for loss).
The last two seasons have been a different story. Injuries have limited the veteran edge guy to 14 total games, and 3.5 sacks. In his press conference right after the season, Lions general manager Brad Holmes really said it all about Flowers.
"Yeah, you know Trey, you’re talking about the ultimate glue guy, ultimate leader,” “He’s what we’re all about, in terms of grit and being just a football player. So it was unfortunate what he had to deal with, but again, those discussions are going to be forward down the road.”"
Flowers stands as a possible offseason cut for the Lions, even with a chunk of dead money that would be left behind. A trade would make it a little easier on the balance sheet, and if the rumor mill around the trade deadline last fall was any indicator there may be some kind of market there for him this offseason.
Would Trey Flowers have multiple teams interested if the Lions cut him?
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report is out with a list of potential NFL cap casualties who could alter the 2022 free agent market. Here’s a bit of what he wrote about Flowers.
"While Flowers’ knee injury will be a concern, he would undoubtedly gain attention on the free-agent market. More of a traditional edge-setting end than a pure edge-rusher, Flowers is still adept at pressuring opposing quarterbacks.Flowers might not garner the same demand as sack specialists like Chandler Jones, Von Miller and Haason Reddick, but he would be one of the better free agents available in the second tier."
Flowers is a remnant of the old regime for the Lions, and he’s not a great scheme fit for Aaron Glenn’s defense as a pure, pin-your-ears-back, 3-4 edge rusher. But there’s always a market for players who can put pressure on the quarterback, and Flowers can surely still do that if he’s healthy. A one-year prove it deal looks like what he’d get from another team, and there might be multiple teams willing to take that flier if he’s available.