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NFL free agency opens two weeks from Tuesday. The Detroit Lions are expected to be more active than last year, but that's not really saying much considering they did very little in 2012. There have already been lots of rumblings about their chances of re-signing defensive end Cliff Avril and landing someone like running back Reggie Bush, but it remains to be seen how those situations will play out.
In the meantime, let's take a look at Rotoworld's free agency predictions, which were unveiled on Monday. There are predictions for the top 50 free agents, and each prediction includes not only the player's team, but his projected contract as well.
For the Lions, Avril headlines the list. He is actually ranked No. 3, and he is predicted to sign a five-year deal worth $64 million with the Indianapolis Colts. If that is the type of deal he ends up with, he is definitely not going to stay in Detroit.
The other Lions free agents on the list are cornerback Chris Houston at No. 43, offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus at No. 45 and safety Louis Delmas at No. 46. Only Houston is predicted to re-sign with the Lions (on a two-year deal worth $11.5 million). Cherilus is predicted to land with the Houston Texans on a two-year, $10.5 million deal, while Delmas is predicted to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs for one year and $5 million.
In addition to re-signing Houston, Rotoworld predicts the Lions to sign Bush and offensive guard Andy Levitre. Levitre checks in at No. 23 on the list, and he is predicted to get a six-year deal worth $38 million from the Lions. Bush is 39th on the list, and Rotoworld has him getting $16.5 million over four years.
I'd personally be pretty surprised if the Lions end up spending this much on three players, mainly because it would limit their ability to re-sign a lot of their own free agents. I'd definitely be on board with the Lions re-signing Houston, and adding Bush to the offense would be nice. I also like the thinking behind upgrading the offensive line with Levitre, but at $38 million over six seasons? I'm not sure if that's the wisest way for the Lions to go about improving their interior line play.
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