Cliff Avril explains why he rejected offer from Lions last year

Last year, the Detroit Lions reportedly offered defensive end Cliff Avril a three-year deal worth $30 million ($20 million guaranteed). That seemed like a pretty good offer all things considered, but Avril rejected the deal, instead opting to take his chances on the franchise tag, which was worth $10.6 million for the 2012 season.

Why exactly did Avril turn down the Lions' $30 million offer? He said during an interview with SiriusXM NFL radio on Friday that he felt he was worth more money based on the kinds of deals other defensive ends were getting. From MLive:

"Last year, going into it, I felt like with all the deals made around me, that wasn't significant enough for what they were trying to offer me," Avril said. "I didn't think that was the right deal to take, so I just played the (franchise) tag. Here we are again. Hopefully, we can figure something out and get my worth."

Avril also said that he would love to get a Mario Williams type of deal this year, although I think even he is aware that something that big is unlikely. In any case, this helps explain why the Lions and Avril haven't been able to agree to a deal. Avril thinks he is worth more than the Lions are willing to offer, and just like last year, this will probably result in the two sides not being able to work something out. The main difference this year is that Avril isn't likely going to be franchised, so he will probably end up signing with another team.

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