The Detroit Lions will have quite a bit of work to do in the coming offseason as they try to secure talent to long-term deals. We have already discussed Cliff Avril's contract situation today, and he is just one of a few Lions players on one-year deals. Guys like Stephen Tulloch and Eric Wright signed one-year contracts with the Lions this past summer, and they have played quite well for Detroit so far this season.
Because there is a salary cap and this isn't Madden, the Lions won't be able to freely offer whatever it takes to lock down players like Avril, Tulloch and Wright. They have been important pieces of a very good defense, though, and losing them would be a blow for 2012. The good news is for the first time in a long time potential future free agents actually have a desire to stay in Detroit, and Wright expressed his desire to remain a Lion to Dave Birkett recently.
"It's obviously a place that I was comfortable with coming, especially in dealing with as many teams as I dealt with during free agency," Wright said Monday. "I picked this place because I liked it, I liked the draw of it, and now that everything is coming to fruition of what I expected it to be, it's even more satisfying. Obviously, if the situation is right, it's a place that I'd love to be."
Wright originally took less money and a shorter deal from the Lions to play in Detroit than what the Browns were offering to stay in Cleveland. The decision has paid off so far on the field, and hopefully it pays off in the future for both him and the Lions.