The Detroit Lions took a step back last season and missed the playoffs and this offseason both Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh have been mentioned in trade rumors and while the team could still make deals, it is very unlikely after the draft and that comes after the team added Eric Ebron to the offense for Matthew Stafford and he is excited about playing with the athletic tight end.
The Lions are coming into the season with a new head coach and a new identity and that is one reason why the trade rumors involving Suh came up, as he has had a few issues over the years on and off the field. According to ESPN.com, the Lions GM Martin Mayhew said that the team is not interested in moving Suh, but at one point Pro Football Talk reported that the Lions did speaks to another team regarding Suh and his availability, but the trade was not worth is according to Mayhew, who said he was offered a "box" of socks for Suh.
The Lions did not play well against the past last season, but they were in the top six against the run and the main reason for that was the play of Suh and Fairley. Last season Suh had 49 tackles and 5.5 sacks, giving him nearly 28 sacks in his career and while last season was up and down for the Lions, they see Suh as part of their future. ESPN.com writes that Suh has over 20 million on his cap number and since he is entering the last year of his rookie deal, many have wondered whether the team will look to trade him since an extension or a new deal has not yet been reached.
Nick Fairley has also come up in some trade rumors for the team and the reason for that is due to the Lions not picking up the 2015 fifth year contract option on the former Auburn star. According to ESPN.com, the Lions opted to not pick up the option year on the contract as a way to get Fairley motivated for the season, as Mayhew felt he had a down year last season. The option not being picked up doesn't mean the Lions will trade him, but after Mayhew said he wondered if Fairley was a $5.5 million player, it's not really a ringing endorsement.
Fairley has been a solid run stopper and last season he had 35 tackles and six sacks and so far in three seasons he has not played a full schedule. Last season he missed one game, but his first two seasons he missed nine and while he had a career high in sacks last season, the Lions want to see more. Fairley has played in 39 games for the team, in his career and he has the talent to be a top of the line starter and he comes in having made 86 tackles and 12.5 sacks in his career.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Lions love what they have in Eric Ebron and Matthew Stafford said that he can't wait to play with him. The team is deep with the position, as they have Joseph Fauria and Brandon Pettigrew and that could give the team a Gronk and Aaron Hernandez type offense heading into next season and that worked well for the Pats, except for the whole murder thing.
