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Quite possibly the the biggest need the Detroit Lions have in the upcoming free agency period is defense, and interesting enough, one of their classic tormenters has hit the market.
The Minnesota Vikings watched as defensive end Everson Griffen voided his contract and became a free agent on Thursday morning. While the move saves the Vikings some money now, it also opens up a gaping hole along the team’s defensive line.
Right now, the most interested team in Griffen’s exit should be the Lions. Not only are they needing a consistent pass rush threat up front to give the defense some punch, but swiping Griffen from the rival Vikings would be a huge statement move for the team.
Immediately after Griffen’s move was revealed, Chris Burke of The Athletic speculated if the team might check in on such a move, though he wondered if Griffen would be outside Detroit’s price range when all was said and done.
Whether Griffen eventually craves a return to Minnesota or not, the Lions should be the first in line to give him a call and give him something to think about financially. They’d be hard pressed to find a better way to use a chunk of the money they have to spend this offseason.
Why Lions Should Target Everson Griffen
Griffen, to this point in his career, has been one of the most dynamic players up front in the league with 355 tackles and 74.5 career sacks. He’s 32 years old, but has proven himself as a dynamic defender capable of wreaking havoc. Griffen’s sack total of 8 from 2019 would have been the highest on the entire Lions defense itself.
More than this, Griffen has always been a thorn in Detroit’s side. In his career, he has consistently exposed the Lions’ offensive line to the tune of 16 career sacks, the most of any team he has ever played in the league. If the Lions can’t beat Griffen, they may as well try to sign him in order to get more production up front and prevent their own quarterback from getting hammered in the process.
Detroit can take a chance on drafting a prospect in 2020, which also seems to be in the cards regardless of what happens in free agency. They should also look at Griffen prior to that since he is the best player set to hit the market not named Jadeveon Clowney or Yannick Ngakoue.
Lions 2020 Cap Space
Detroit will have a decent chunk of change to spend this offseason, having restructured Matthew Stafford’s deal to push their cap space to around $50 million dollars for the coming season. With this money, the Lions will have multiple different needs to address including the defensive line, secondary as well as potential upgrades on offense.
The Lions could always open up more space with a few savvy moves, and there could be other cap casualties that might impact the team’s final salary number more dramatically ahead of March.
For now, though, the Lions have a decent amount of money to spend to patch several of the holes they will be dealing with. Griffen might want a ton of money, but it could make sense for Detroit to be his biggest suitor when all is said and done.
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