4 players the Detroit Lions gave up on too soon

1. CB Darius Slay

Run afoul of Patricia when he was the Lions' head coach, or God forbid spend time working out with other players who are among the best at your position in the offseason in an effort to learn and get better, and you might be gone. Slay found this out fully in 2020, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for two inconsequential draft picks.

Slay has clearly not forgotten about Patricia's dismissal of his talent, which makes their reunion with the Eagles an interesting one with Patricia coming aboard as a senior assistant. But truth be told, they probably won't be working closely all that often--if at all. Slay said all the right things about being anywhere in the same building as Patricia again, calling it a "cordial" reunion, and the Eagles apparently made sure it was ok with him to hire Patricia before they officially did it.

Slay has made back-to-back Pro Bowls with the Eagles, and he's (still) widely regarded as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He should still be a Lion, even if (when) it would've meant paying him in line with his talent and the market. But he was never going to stick around as long as Patricia had something to say about it. It was only a matter of time--and it was bad timing for the Lions, in terms of when he was due for a new contract and who the decision makers were.