There has been plenty of talk regarding the future of the Detroit Lions in terms of coaching changes and which players are poised to stick around for the future. With young pieces like Ameer Abdullah and Eric Ebron improving, there are bright spots for the roster, but re-tooling position areas could be tough given the contracts assigned to Calvin Johnson and Matthews Stafford. As trade rumors circulate around both players, could one be forced into a pay cut?
Both Stafford and Johnson have made it very clear that they intend to stick around for the long-term in Detroit, but they understand that it is out of their control considering the nature of the business. However, they can put more of the control into their hands by taking a pay cut in their inflated contracts. With a new general manager coming into the team in 2016, they will have to determine what to do with Johnson's $24 million cap charge. Releasing him leaves $12 million in dead money.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Johnson is not expected to like the idea of a pay cut. While he is no longer the most dominant at his position, the veteran is still an absolute threat on the field and he knows it. The issue is the Lions cannot afford to keep both him and Stafford at their current price tags. Rapoport writes that the Lions could try and restructure the deal, giving Johnson move guaranteed money to the next two years and not after that.
Both Stafford and Johnson know they are critical to the team, but their contracts make them trade bait or victims of being released. Interim general manager Sheldon White did not want to speculate on what the Lions would do in the offseason. The connection between the two players has certainly been responsible for winning Detroit a lot of games, but it is also going to be a burden in the coming months when the team looks to rebuild certain areas of the roster.
"Those guys are awesome," White said, via the Detroit Free Press. "They're awesome. The things that I have to do on my end, in my opinion those guys are ultra-talented. I have to continue to surround them and continue to build our roster and you'll see all the talents that those guys have. And they are unbelievable."
Johnson might be the easier player to replace. While Stafford has inconsistent this season, he is likely the better option over a rookie quarterback or someone else on the market. Trading Johnson would get the Lions something good in return as the team could try and take that route while also restructuring the deal of the quarterback.
