The Lions are not expected to pursue Milton Williams in free agency, who Detroit could target there instead
Earlier in the week we talked about Bleacher Report's Alex Kay projecting that Super Bowl standout Milton Williams would land with the Detroit Lions in free agency. It's a move that would be exciting in the sense that the Lions would get the top interior defensive lineman on the market in this year's free agency, […]
Earlier in the week we talked about Bleacher Report's Alex Kay projecting that Super Bowl standout Milton Williams would land with the Detroit Lions in free agency.
It's a move that would be exciting in the sense that the Lions would get the top interior defensive lineman on the market in this year's free agency, but the move just didn't make a whole lot of sense considering the Lions have the better player in Alim McNeill and they have DJ Reader as well.
We now know that the Lions feel the same way. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday morning that "The Lions are not expected to be players for the top lineman available, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams."
It's not hard to see why the Lions would avoid Williams. He is projected to get a three-year $64.5 million deal and the Lions just don't do deals for players like that. They might be persuaded to do it for an edge rusher, but not at a spot where they already have a very good player at the same age.
This doesn't mean the Lions will ignore the interior defensive line. There are still some players out there that are very good, but come at a cheaper rate. Here's a handful of guys and what their projected contracts look like:
- Calais Campbell: One-year deal for $3.5 million
- Poona Ford: Three-year deal for $13 million
- Jerry Tillery: Two-year deal for $9 million
- Javon Hargrave: Two-year deal worth $25 million
In addition to those external guys, the Lions should be expected to try to keep Levi Onwuzurike in Detroit this offseason. He's projected to get a two-year deal worth $28 million. The Lions have already seen some good stuff from him in rotation and we know he has some versatility to kick outside as well. It would be surprising to not see him back in Detroit in 2025.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ projected contract extension points towards the Lions having to let some stars leave after pen hits paper.
Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Eagles made Saquon Barkley the highest paid running back in the NFL and also made him the first running back in NFL history to get over the $20 million a year benchmark. The immediate response from Detroit Lions fans was that Jahmyr Gibbs is about to get paid huge too. […]
