Two starters on the Lions’ defense, cornerback Darius Slay and defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison, are skipping the team’s mandatory minicamp. Their coach doesn’t sound too worried.
Lions head coach Matt Patricia noted that it’s happened before.
“It’s nothing uncharted territory from that aspect of it,” Patricia said. “We’re just focused on the guys that are here. We’re really just trying to get better.”
Patricia said he doesn’t want to talk about the contract status of Slay and Harrison, both of whom want a raise.
“I don’t really talk about any of that stuff as far as contract situations or relationships or any of that sort of stuff,” he said. “So we’re just, again, focusing on the guys that are in the building and out on the practice field.”
Both Slay and Harrison have two years remaining on their current deals, so the Lions are in no rush to give them new deals. Which means it’s possible the two will still be holding out when training camp starts.