Lions president Tom Lewand said early this month that and linebacker DeAndre Levy had yet to open up contract negotiations and, as a result, he couldn’t say whether the team’s talks with Levy would extend past the start of training camp.
Lewand should have a better idea of the timing the next time he addresses Levy’s contract situation. General Manager Martin Mayhew said Friday that the team has opened up talks with Levy. There wasn’t any characterization of the talks beyond “ongoing,” which means they’re further along than talks with defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
Ngata is set to become a free agent after next season, but Mayhew said that the team wants to give Ngata time to settle after the March trade that brought him to Detroit.
“I think they know we have an interest in doing something,” Mayhew said, via ESPN.com. “And I think we know they have an interest in doing something, but he just got here for his offseason program. Letting him get comfortable, get situated, and at some point we’ll start that dialogue.”
Mayhew also touched on safety James Ihedigbo’s absence from voluntary workouts, saying he understood from his own playing career the veteran’s feeling that he’s underpaid and deserving of a new deal. There wasn’t much sign about whether the Lions were amenable to giving him one, which leaves that as another situation to monitor as the offseason continues to unfold in Detroit.