The Lions will have plenty of key free agents this offseason. One who hopes to stick around is linebacker Justin Durant.
“I want to sign,” Durant tells Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “Am I sure? No. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. Free agency is a different type of process. You never know what’s going to happen. I’m definitely just anxious to see.
“Hopefully we get something worked out to where I’m back in Detroit. I love the city, I love the fans, love playing there.”
That could be easier said that done, unless he wants to give his adopted hometown a discount. Durant led the Lions with 82 solo tackles in 2013, which could make him more attractive on the open market.
“It was my best season as far as tackles; I thought I had a good one,” Durant said. “Hopefully everyone in the front office sees that as well.”
But the market for veteran linebackers lately has resembled the market for veteran running backs. The big money simply may not be there for a six-year veteran who turns 28 in September. Which means that Detroit could end up making the most sense, like it did in 2011 when Durant signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract.