Detroit Lions place franchise tag on Ezekiel Ansah

On Tuesday afternoon, the Detroit Lions announced that they have designated Ezekiel Ansah as their franchise player. In other words, the team has officially franchise tagged Ansah for the 2018 season.

This represents the first significant move in the Matt Patricia era, as the Lions have decided to keep the best pass rusher on their roster.

The ball will now be in Ansah’s court when it comes to his future with Detroit. He has until July 16 to negotiate a long-term deal with the Lions, and if an agreement is not made, he’ll be facing a one-year deal worth between $17 and 18 million. The exact figure of that one-year deal has yet to be set, as the salary cap for the 2018 season has yet to be determined at this time.

Ansah’s career has been fraught with injury, which is why the Lions haven’t been able to commit long-term to Ansah, but the Lions pass rusher had at least 12.0 sacks in two of the three years.