Pacman Jones has expressed his hope that the Lions will offer him a chance to rejoin the NFL, but according to Tom Kowalski, that doesn't appear likely, at least not anytime soon.
Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew is fond of saying he's a man who likes to keep his options open, and that's why the Lions aren't slamming the door completely shut on Pacman Jones. However, according to sources close to the situation, the Lions have no plans to sign Jones in the foreseeable future.
I guess how big of a story this really is depends on your definition of the phrase "foreseeable future." While the Lions may not be interested in Jones right now, this report could mean that Detroit will just go to training camp with what they have and then bring in Jones if there is a need to upgrade the cornerback position. That seems to be the most likely scenario since Martin Mayhew didn't exactly sound like he was ready to even set up a meeting the last time he was asked about Jones. Like Kowalski said, Mayhew isn't shutting any doors because he wants to keep this option open, but at the same time, nothing sounds remotely imminent, and any developments on the Pacman front probably will have to wait until training camp gets going.
As for Jones, he recently said in a radio interview that he is "talking to a couple teams -- the Lions, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Jacksonville." Jones admitted that no team "has really made a major move yet," but he reiterated that he is working hard to get another opportunity to play in the NFL and that his troublesome days are behind him.
Just based on what Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said about the extent of Cincinnati's talks with Jones' agent, it certainly looks like the Lions will have the option of waiting until the summer to make a move if they decide the cornerback position needs a new face. No teams have expressed any solid interest as far as we know (Cincinnati definitely doesn't sound too interested), and the Lions haven't even set up a meeting with Jones yet. That is the next step in this process, and considering nothing appears to be planned right now, it looks like the Lions can and will wait to see what happens. I personally am on the Jones bandwagon based on his recent comments and the lack of depth at cornerback, but it looks like we will have to wait and see how training camp develops before anything too substantial happens with him and the Lions -- if anything does happen, that is.