The reason the Lions are not in the cards for free agent safety Oshiomogho Atogwe is because of how much money he is asking for. Atogwe's play on the field is something the Lions are most definitely interested in, because he would be the answer to the question of who is going to start at safety opposite Louis Delmas. So, while the Lions are "taking a hard look" at Atogwe, he isn't a realistic option at this point in time due to how much money he wants to be paid.
According to a league source, Atogwe's salary demands are extremely high and the Lions aren't interested in meeting them. That's also the reason why several other teams have pulled out of negotiations with the former St. Louis Rams player.
It's possible that Atogwe will have to reduce his demands and the Lions could get back into the sweepstakes but, for now, the Lions aren't an option.
Teams definitely think Atogwe would be a good player; the issue is they don't want to meet his high salary demands. Rather than wait to see if the Lions suddenly decide they are interested, we should be waiting to see if Atogwe realizes his demands are shrinking the market for him. Once that happens, then maybe the Lions will take a serious look at signing him.