Just Say No: 4 free agents the Detroit Lions should avoid

I love free agency time. It’s one of my favorite things about football. One of the reasons I love it so much is that I get to crush some of your free agency dreams!

*maniacal laugh*

Okay, we all know what we’re doing here. Every year around this time, some Detroit Lions fans will take to their social media place of choice and say, “The Lions should sign ____.” I’m here to tell you that blank isn’t good, and the Lions should stay away from blank. In fact, they should run away from blank and just say, “No” to them. Here’s the first four blanks of the year that the Lions should say no to.

WR Will Fuller

This is often a popular one. In fact, Will Fuller has been a part of this series before. While the Lions are in need of help at receiver, the soon-to-be 28-year-old receiver coming off a bad season in Miami is not the answer.

After suffering a broken thumb, Fuller only played two games in 2021. That goes right along with Fuller’s long history of injury issues. In Fuller’s six-year career, he’s never played a full season of football. While it’s true Fuller can play well when he’s healthy, he’s never healthy. The Lions need to stay far away from Fuller unless he plans to take the league minimum salary or a super short deal. Even then, the Lions would still be better served using their assets to bring in someone a little safer.

LB Anthony Barr

Let’s see, the Lions need help at linebacker pretty badly. What about a guy who used to beat up on the Lions all the time? How about no. Turns out Barr having some good games against the Lions was not really a reflection of Barr’s entire career. While he’s not the worst linebacker in the world, Barr is not as good as he once was.

Barr has dealt with injuries as of late in his career, and it’s really affected his play down the line. While Barr’s 63.9 FF grade isn’t bad, it’s not as great as the 70s that he used to harbor around. The Lions also have a chance to head towards a more youthful linebacking corps this offseason. That’s another reason the Lions should take a pass on the 29-year-old linebacker.

So while Barr used to hurt the Lions a lot, it seems like bringing him to Detroit would only continue to hurt them.

LB/S Jabrill Peppers

The Lions need help at safety and here’s a guy that used to be a fan favorite around these parts. The former Michigan Wolverine looked like he was going to be a total stud after winning several awards in college. The Browns took him 25th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, and since then, he just has not lived up to the potential that even this Spartans fan thought he had. ‘

That potential can be reached in some areas. That’s why Peppers is my one pick this week that wouldn’t spark the end of the world if the Lions decided to sign him. There’s a caveat, though. The caveat is that the Lions should totally stay away from the idea that Peppers could be a starting safety for them. If that’s what he wants, then run away from it. If Peppers wants to come on a short-term, prove-it deal, compete first as a backup while bringing his special teams prowess to the team, I’m for it.

This works out for both parties. The Lions need some extra help at safety and Peppers needs to rebuild his career.

WR Allen Robinson

This is one player I used to want the Lions to go after. I know that I wasn’t alone there, either. It made a lot of sense. Robinson is a Detroit native and it always seemed like it was something that was possible. The Lions just missed the window too many times on this one. Now Robinson is not the target he once was.

Robinson is coming off a really rough 2021 season. He dealt with COVID-19 and injuries and when he was healthy, he looked like a guy that had missed a step. Robinson only recorded 38 catches for 410 yards and a touchdown.

Maybe it’s because of the quarterback situation in Chicago. The Bears had one of the worst passing attacks in the NFL in 2021. Maybe it’s because Robinson is trending downward in his career. Are you comfortable with the Lions spending any of their money to find out the answer to those questions? I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.

Sadly, this one looks like another Patrick Peterson situation where the Lions and their fans always wanted him, but it was just never meant to be.