T.J. Lang‘s homecoming to the Lions almost never happened in the final hours of the deal.
In case you missed Valenti and Foster yesterday on 97.1 yesterday – which I can’t blame anyone who does – Lang mentioned that he was ’99 percent sure’ Seattle‘s final offer of $8 million per season was going to be the number that brought the 2016 Pro Bowler to the Seahawks.
Until Bob Quinn and the Lions made one final significant pitch:
“At the time, Seattle had the best offer and I didn’t know Detroit was coming back with a counter offer. So when I left Seattle, I was 99 percent sure I was flying back there to sign a contract. Then Detroit stepped up and things changed pretty quick”.
That significant pitch by the Lions was as we know now a three-year, $28.5 million dollar deal with $19 million guaranteed. That’s good money for a 29-year old guard and a no-brainer for Lang considering Seattle’s offer and Green Bay‘s $21.5 million ($6.5 million guaranteed) offer over three years.
It was a win for Detroit in the here and now especially considering Lang now makes that Lions offensive line one of the best in football. However you can’t help but wonder why the Packers were so reluctant to budge on their significantly low offer for a guy that’s been very productive for them over the years.
Are the Lions missing something?
h/t: Field Gulls
