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Earlier in the week, we tentatively advocated for the Detroit Lions to make a play at recently released cornerback Robert Alford. The Falcons cut the 30-year-old Alford in a move that will save them $7.9 million. Though the veteran cornerback is coming off a terrible season, Alford’s reputation was good enough I thought the Lions should take a look at him.
According to a report from John Gambadoro of 98.7 in Phoenix, the Lions were among the teams interested in the free agent.
Robert Alford had interest from several teams including Detroit, Tampa Bay, New York Jets, Tennessee and San Francisco before signing with Arizona.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) February 7, 2019
However, as John states, Alford has signed with the Arizona Cardinals instead.
Because Alford is a veteran and he was released (and his contract didn’t expire), he immediately hit free agency and was free to sign anywhere. He did not have to wait until free agency opens (for expired contracts) in mid March. He chose the Cardinals, inking a pretty hefty three-year deal with Arizona.
The #AZCardinals signed CB Robert Alford to a 3-year deal worth $22.5M base, worth up to $24M, source said. He gets $13.5M guaranteed. Helps AZ a ton on D and another nice payday for Alford.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 7, 2019
That may have been a bit too rich for the Lions, especially considering there’s no guarantee that Alford was going to bounce back from his disappointing 2018 season.
However, this is yet another sign that the Lions have interest in improving their cornerback unit for the second straight offseason. Last year, they were reportedly interested in both Richard Sherman and Malcolm Butler.