Cliff Avril anticipating a deal with Detroit Lions soon – NFL News
With Detroit Lions training camp kicking off next month, Cliff Avril is expecting to get a deal done before the July 16 deadline, while the Lions are also trying to thrash out a deal sooner rather than later.
Avril’s performance has become better with every season since he joined the Lions. In his four-year tenure with Lions, he has compiled a total of 133 tackles and 30 sacks.
Avril, a third-round pick in the 2008 draft, was signed for a three-year, $1.6 million contract by the Lions.
During the 2008 season, Avril completed 23 tackles and 5.0 sacks. He improved his performance next season with 41 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
Continuing his good run, Avril scored 8.5 sacks in the 2010 season and also got 33 tackles.
He has been very valuable for Lions giving them consistent performance throughout every season. While playing all games last season, he scored 36 tackles and 11 sacks.
Meanwhile, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has said that he is not astonished with Avril’s deal taking that much time. According to him:
"It can't be any more complicated than the next. I take it with a grain of salt, in a sense. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It's nothing to stress out about, I know I'm not stressed out over it. I don't know what makes it more complicated
though."
Avril’s replied to Mayhew’s statement, saying:
“It can’t be any more complicated than the next. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. It’s nothing to stress out about, I know I’m not stressed out over it. I don’t know what makes it more complicated though.”
Avril has not attended the Lion’s offseason minicamp and other activities this offseason. There has been some talk about Avril trying to get a long-term deal worth around $42 million, but the talks have reportedly come to a standstill, with both parties
differing for about $2 million.
Lions have put a non-exclusive franchise tag on Avril giving him a one-year deal worth $10 million. According to Mayhew, Lions are trying since the beginning to make a long-term contract with Avril.
Although Avril himself wants a long-term deal with the Lions, especially following a breakout season last year, he will not mind signing the franchise tender worth staggering $10 million.
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