Key Lions Free Agent Explains His Free Agency Desire

Tavon Wilson

Getty Tavon Wilson makes a play on the Jets.

The Detroit Lions have plenty of decisions to make with their roster in the coming weeks, and one of the biggest could be what to do with safety Tavon Wilson.

Wilson has been a fit for the team ever since they picked him up a few offseasons ago, and continues to fit Matt Patricia’s mold on defense on the back end. He’s also a quality leader on the field and in the locker room, things which matter a great deal for the team. Wilson is also a free agent, and according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN, wants to return to the Lions next season.

As Wilson also said, he is looking forward to the free agency process. At this point, whether the Lions bring him back or not is truthfully anyone’s guess. As Rothstein also said, he could see Wilson returning to the team next season on a new contract.

Detroit will have some decisions to make in the coming weeks, and one of the big ones to remember now involves whether or not they elect to engage Wilson on a new deal. It sounds like if the team wants him back, he will be willing to talk to them.


Tavon Wilson Statistics

Wilson has been a playmaker since coming into the NFL out of Illinois in 2012 as a second round selection. He started his career with the Patriots, and has piled up 357 tackles and 8 career interceptions to go with 5 sacks. He’s also played on special teams before. There’s little doubt that Wilson is one of the better veteran options on the market given his understanding of Detroit’s defense.

Last season, when the Lions traded Quandre Diggs, they held things together due in part to Wilson being a steady influence on the back end. Having him in the secondary has been huge for the development of a couple key young players in Tracy Walker and Will Harris, both of whom figure to be the team’s future at the position in the next few years.

Wilson, in spite of this, is only 29 years old, so theoretically he has more excellent years left in the league.


Lions Cap Space in 2020

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. Whether or not they elect to keep some of their own in-house free agents like Wilson will be something to watch.

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