The Detroit Lions attempted comeback against the Dallas Cowboys came up short thanks to a controversial call and now the team enters the offseason with doubt surrounding some of their top players. Detroit continue to come up short in the postseason which will likely be the driving force in offseason changes. With Matthew Stafford inked to a large contract extension, several others players are facing doubt in their return to the franchise.
Ndamukong Suh is the player most likely out in 2015. The defensive tackle had trouble holding in his emotions following the loss in the wild card game, speaking like a player that knows his time with the franchise is over.
"It's tough, at the end of the day," Suh said, via Yahoo! Sports. It's tough. Honestly, I didn't expect this. That's what it comes down to. It's sickening, I don't know."
Suh has an expiring contract to his name with goals of becoming the highest paid defensive player in the league. Yes, the Lions could opt to use the franchise tag on Suh, but that would cost the team $26 million in guaranteed cash in the upcoming season, something they simply have no intentions of paying. Suh admits that he is looking to get paid and will let his agent determine where he plays next season as money is certainly the driving force for him in free agency.
Suh is not the only player that has questions marks regarding his future as ESPN Insider reports Calvin Johnson could as well. The wide receiver carries a cap hit of $20.558 million for next season. He is a $24 million hit in 2016. That is not ideal. Of course, Johnson has been the biggest offensive playmaker for the Lions, but this season was a struggle for the wide receiver. Johnson suffered several injuries, keeping him out of a few games which raises injury concerns. Johnson could be asked to take less money sooner rather than later which could be the deciding factor in his future.
Nick Fairley and Reggie Bush are two other players that have doubt regarding their future. Bush sat out portions of the season with injuries while Joique Bell stepped up in his place. Fairley also missed a majority of the year and after having his work ethic questioned, a return does not appear to be in his future.
The chances that Suh returns to the Lions are not good. The chances that Johnson is back with in Detroit are very likely. Bush and Fairley remain a mystery. Bleacher Reports' Jason Cole believes Johnson could very easily be gone in 2015 especially if the Lions opt to draft a wide receiver, something they planned on doing in 2014, but did not in the end. Heavy cap numbers hurt futures and the Lions could find that out the hard way.
