During an appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio on March 13, Lions free agent defensive end Cliff Avril said he’d like to remain with the Lions but he wouldn’t take less than market value to stay with them…
“There is no such thing as a hometown discount in the NFL,” Avril said. “Once you can’t play anymore, they’re going to let you go, so you definitely have to strike gold when you can.”
However if a team were to offer the same amount to Avril that the Lions were offering, Avril reiterated that he would prefer to stay in Detroit…
“I’d love to be with the Lions,” he said, “and if them and another team present the same (offer), I would stay with the Lions.”
With a deal not yet in place, many NFL analyst believe the Lions will use the franchise tag on Avril come Monday when teams are allowed to do so. If the Lions were to go this route with Avril it will likely cost them around $10-$11 million dollars this upcoming season. Still the Lions and Avril hope to get a long-term deal worked out.
Ref: NFL Network, NFL.com, Mlive.com, Cleveland.com (image)