The Lions said in March that a new contract for defensive tackle Damon Harrison wasn’t something he’d think about until after the draft and that approach appears to be having an impact on Harrison’s approach to the team’s offseason workouts.
Those workouts got underway this week and Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports that Harrison has not been in attendance. He hasn’t made any comment about the reason why he’s not at the voluntary workouts, but he wouldn’t be the first player to stay away from his team while making a push for a new deal.
It’s unclear if Harrison’s absence will push the Lions to give him what he’s looking for on the contract front. He has two years left on his deal and teams are generally reticent to open the door to renegotiating deals with that much time left on a current pact.
Harrison joined the Lions in a midseason trade with the Giants last year and the team’s run defense made a noticeable turn for the better after his arrival in Detroit.