Detroit Lions extend Damon Harrison, show culture of team

The Detroit Lions have continued to conduct the business of keeping players happy while building a better roster. What is next for the Detroit Lions?

If you follow the Detroit Lions throughout the offseason as well as during the regular season, you may already know that the Lions announced a one-year extension for Damon Harrison.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on the new deal this past Wednesday, which is said to be for $11 million of guaranteed money, giving Harrison $12 million in total guarantees between this season and 2020 season, when many players believe there will be a holdout. The bigger thing here is that it shows how the Lions front office has already changed the culture in Detroit by building a worthy roster.

The new deal also comes after Harrison and teammate, cornerback Darius Slay, both refused to report to Detroit Lions minicamp over their desire to receive more guaranteed money. Although all of the numbers have not been officially reported, the deal allegedly keeps Harrison with the Lions through the 2021 season and gives him the additional guaranteed money he was seeking. With the new deal, he would average just over $9 million in salary per year ($9,083,333).

Slay has not received an extension as of now but perhaps we will see something get done in the near future. General manager Bob Quinn did the smart thing and took care of Harrison to keep his core of players happy. Both Harrison and Slay have two years remaining on their prior deals, which made their minicamp holdouts controversial to many fans and pundits.

As mentioned earlier, many players believe that there could be a work stoppage after the NFLPA started advising players to plan for one after this season. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA, for short) is set to expire after the 2020 season. This warning has prompted many veterans, including the Detroit Lions players, to request money in advance to have additional money set aside for the duration of any holdout.

Detroit Lions future concerns

With Harrison’s deal behind him, Quinn can now focus on the Detroit Lions retaining the services of Slay. No report has stated exactly what Slay’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is asking for his client but it is believed that he may be content with a small extension and some additional guaranteed money, too, just as Damon Harrison has received. Rosenhaus represents both men, perhaps not coincidentally.

Darius Slay is set to make over $15 million for the current year and more than another thirteen million in salary during the last year of his current deal, according to Spotrac. At the moment he is set to be a free agent in 2021. Another opinion is that he would prefer a long term deal that surpasses the Xavien Howard contract which pays Howard $75.25 million over five years, according to Spotrac.

Whatever deal will satisfy Slay, Quinn has set up his roster to be competitive for the near future. Only a handful of the defensive starters aren’t under contract past  2019. Rashaan Melvin, cornerback, Christian Jones, outside linebacker, and A’Shawn Robinson, defensive tackle, are the only players that in that situation.

Instead of having to replace or find stop-gap players at various positions, Bob Quinn has players coming to Detroit like former Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels who cited his head coach, Matt Patricia, as a reason to sign in the Motor City. Offensively, there are some positions to be addressed including several offensive line spots after this year. Graham Glasgow, Kenny Wiggins, and Oday Aboushi are all free agents along the interior of the line.

Danny Amendola, slot receiver, C.J. Anderson, running back, and backup quarterback Tom Savage are among the few offensive skill players the Lions will have to make decisions on prior to next year. Overall, the list on both sides of the ball is short and shows that the depth and core of players are in place to give the Detroit Lions a competitive window for at least the next two to three years.

In building the depth and stability of the current roster, Bob Quinn has effectively changed the Detroit Lions into a roster capable of challenging for the division title and possibly more. The perception outside of Detroit may not be consistent but Lions fans can see the progress.

What areas do you want to see the Detroit Lions address next? Do you think that the Detroit Lions are going to make the playoffs this season? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Follow CoachKirk @mkirk2 on Twitter for more Detroit and Michigan sports, plus other random content.