A big focus of the Detroit Lions’ 2022 offseason so far has been prioritizing free agent returns for young players who are a part of the team’s nucleus. That doesn’t show any signs of stopping for the future, either, as it relates to some new players.
If a player is able to come in and prove why they deserve a new deal while representing culture fits, they’re likely to get rewarded by Brad Holmes. Two of those players are tight end TJ Hockenson as well as cornerback Amani Oruwariye.
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Holmes was speaking to the media during the NFL owners meetings on March 29 and left nothing to hide when it comes to Hockenson and Oruwariye and their potential future with the team. According to Holmes, the fifth-year option is going to be used, and the team also wants to see if they can get something done with a player in Oruwariye who has earned his role.
“Hockinson obviously, he’s a big part of what we did last year. It was unfortunate when he became unavailable for us but you know, he’s another one that we’ll be continuing to lean on this this year,” Holmes told the media. Amani, just another another example of a guy that had his best season last year so it just kind of correlates back to that narrative of signing back our own guys. Obviously Amani, with the ball production that he had and just being just a good teammate, he really developed as a leader. He’s gonna be another one. He’s still a young guy that still has meat left on the bone, and you know there’s still upside in him. Those guys will be important discussions that we’ll have to have for the future, but those guys are productive players for us and we’re excited about them this year.”
On the option for Hockenson, Holmes revealed that it’s likely to get done given the team wants to keep the top tight end around.
“I mean unless some something doesn’t happen, then you know we would have an intention to get that fifth-year option done to bring him back last year which maybe kind of got priced out of that desire, but yeah just the opportunity to bring him back,” Holmes said.
In terms of both extensions, the Lions have already talked deal, even though Holmes admits he doesn’t have a crystal ball to see how things will play out.
“Those are discussions we will have and we have already had them internally,” Holmes confessed as it relates to the possible future deals.
Add it all up and it sure sounds as if both Hockenson and Oruwariye will be sticking around for the Lions in the future one way or another. They have earned the trust of the staff and also the praise of the team’s front office. That serves them well for the future.
Hockenson Option Will Be Costly for Lions
How much will the option cost the Lions? As shown earlier this offseason, the financials of that decision have come into better focus. Next year, if the Lions want to exercise a fifth-year option on Hockenson, it will cost the team $9.4 million
“Fifth-year option for T.J. Hockenson (for 2023) would land at around $9.4M. Franchise tag price for the year keeps ticking up. Would be in the interest of both sides to go long-term, if Hockenson wants to be around. He has outplayed his current 2022 salary ($965K),” Burke tweeted.
With this in mind, the Lions would probably like to work something out with Hockenson if they can. It would be quite costly to do the fifth-year option route or also the franchise tag route for the future, but it looks as if it is the move the Lions are planning on here according to Holmes.
Oruwariye Earning New Deal With Elite Play
There’s no doubting the fact Oruwariye should be rewarded for what he has done in Detroit. During the 2019 season as he started into the league, Oruwariye didn’t do much statistically for the team early on as he battled a knee injury most of the early part of the year, and as a result, his stats weren’t that robust. Oruwariye finished 2019 with 2 interceptions and 19 tackles for the Lions. During the 2020 season on the field, he saw those numbers tick up with 53 tackles, 1 interception and 7 passes defended, meaning he was easily able to eclipse his statistical work from last season, setting him on a good trajectory for the future. In 2021, Oruwariye had his best season in the league yet with 6 interceptions and 57 tackles, both career highs.
While playing for Penn State, Oruwariye put up 108 tackles and 8 interceptions while scoring 1 touchdown. Obviously, the Lions have to hope that as he comes along, Oruwariye can manage to become the ball hawk he was for the Nittany Lions for years. Here’s a look at some highlights:
So far in Detroit, he’s shown an ability to step up and stick in coverage which is great news for the Lions. It only serves to prove how good Oruwariye has been consistently this season and how important he could be for the future. Both players are key for the team, which makes sense that the Lions would want to get deals done and keep them around.
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