I just don’t see him coming back. Too many injury issues in his career and I think he can be replaced for less than he’ll get on the open market.
I’m happy for him that he had a decent year but I’m betting the under on his future as a healthy player
It just takes one stupid offer.
I think this is the year the lions start playing the comp game. Sign mostly cut guys or older guys waiting till draft is over. Sign a couple of your guys a couple get stupid offers get an extra 2-4 picks a year. I think we reached the point that we are gonna lose more guys than sign in free agency.
I’ve been thinking this same thing. One thing we know quite well in Detroit, bottom feeder teams are always looking to sign guys who come from winning organizations. The guys who are available are usually guys who had injury issues, or since the team was very talented, you are thinking (hoping) that the guy is a good player, he just didn’t much opportunity to play due to the team’s overall talent.
I can see Levi falling into both of these categories. Due to his age, injury history and he made enough splash plays to pop up on youtube highlights, I can easily see a lower tier team signing him to a big contract hoping he is one of those guys who is about to break out and needs a chance. There is no way I’d match that. Levi’s production is replaceable in the draft. I’d rather draft new talent and keep the costs down. This is part of the roster turnover process when you are a good team. Still strange territory, but here we are.
The same reasons the Lions are hesitant to pay him, will be the same reason other teams will be hesitent. Maybe if the offer is high enough we get a comp pick? I suppose that will also depend on what we do in FA obviously.
He’s has one injury issue, albeit a very serious one.
2021 - we draft him. He has a back problem but he plays through it, it hampers him significantly and causes him a lot of pain
2022 - he has spinal fusion surgery, and misses the season. It’s a risky surgery, but it’s successful although he isn’t able to train for a year and loses a ton of muscle
2023 - fully healthy, but not as big or strong as he was, he plays a small part on the team and is healthy for every game but a healthy scratch some weeks to manage his load and because he isn’t the force he can be with full body mass
2024 - fully healthy, plays every game
He’s two years out from his surgery and hasn’t suffered a single setback or complication. He’s been healthy enough to play every game for those two years, but in 2023 he wasn’t his strongest, fittest self.
One injury, that took a lot of time, but is now fully resolved.
I don’t know what the Jets D-Line looks like but if they have a need I would expect them to have serious interest.
So far. No one has really ever come all the way back from that injury. The list is mostly career-enders, though it’s getting slightly better of late. Still Levi might be the best case thus far, and like you said, of his two years one was basically a recovery year. And even though he was fully healthy this year, it’s not like he was the stud they hoped they were drafting when they took him near the 1st.
He’s worth a comp pick. He was a 2nd rounder.
You make great and accurate points.
If we did happen to re-sign him I wouldn’t be upset if the contract was reasonable. I trust the front office (it’s still hard to say that🙂) but I do worry that that back injury will shorten his career and pop up again sooner than later.
A lot will have to do with his open market value and what other teams are willing to offer.
I’m pretty sure Holmes will make him an offer, especially with Alim recovering from surgery. But I also don’t expect Holmes to overpay. Feels like a Jamaal Williams type of situation. We like you but we aint gonna overpay. Take it or leave it.
These are the type of guys that well run organizations don’t pay and that bad organizations do.
Just like a few other guys, Derrick Barnes being another one, they’re welcome back if they come back at a discounted rate but good luck to them elsewhere if they have a significant offer on the table.
Just too many way more important players to pay coming up soon so the Lions will have to play moneyball with the non-core players. Keep having faith in drafting and developing or save the assets/cap space for a bigger splash guy. Don’t overpay middling players, worse thing an organization can do
We were the bad orgs for decades. Avg players getting top dollars.
Trey Flowers how’s 90 mill sound? Sure you’re having offseason shoulder surgery and your career high in sacks is 7. But we got 90 mill reasons to come to Detroit. 
Still cost a fortune after he left.
Maaan, that’s the one that immediately came to mind in a sea of so many others to choose from
Jamie Collins might have been worse… Lol all Fatty P and Quinn did was overpay their former players from NE. Flowers at least tried on the field…Jamie Collins was just going through the motions collecting his money.
They even tried to trade for Gronk but he said I’d rather retire haha
The day they got rid of Collins is the day I had faith in Dan and Brad.
Just seeing these names typed out brings back memories of the darkest of times (even darker than the Millen years in a lot of ways) and how amazingly recent it was, amazing in the sense that Brad and Dan are absolute freaking god sends and should have statues erected in their honor even if they never win a Superbowl,
I’m sorry. Best not to think about that era. Lol the OSU defense is gonna be electric
Both them guys was part of that trying to copy the Pats success. Fans love this stuff before the fact and not so much after the fact.