NFL Free Agents: Detroit Lions' Cliff Avril May Hold Out If Franchise Tagged

Of the issues facing the Detroit Lions this offseason, one of the team's top priorities, at least on the defensive side of the ball, is retaining the services of pending free-agent defensive end Cliff Avril.

The 25-year-old Avril had a breakout fourth season in the National Football League a year ago, tallying 36 tackles, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles. With 19.5 sacks over the past two campaigns Avril has emerged as the foundation of a formidable front four in the Motor City.

The Lions and Avril have begun discussions on a contract extension, which are proceeding "very slowly" according to Avril's agent. Given the feeding frenzy that could be generated by a defensive end of Avril's age and considerable talents hitting the open market, it came as no big surprise when the Detroit Free Press reported that Avril would likely be a candidate for the franchise tag if he and the Lions fail to reach an agreement on a new deal.

Avril has made it clear that he would like to remain in Detroit, but he's also been clear that there will be no "hometown discount," telling the Detroit News, "There is no such thing as a hometown discount. You have to strike gold when you can."

On playing under the franchise tag, which would pay him around $10 million in 2012, Avril told the Free Press:

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This is new to me. My agent hasn’t called me and told me anything. I mean, we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. If they franchise me, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be playing under that, because that just gives them more time to negotiate or whatnot. So we’ll see how it goes.

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However, Avril was apparently less diplomatic when speaking to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News later that day:

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Asked Avril if he'd be upset and maybe miss camp if Lions franchise tagged him. 'Probably'

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Often times the threat of a holdout is just that, posturing done by a player and his agent in the hopes of forcing a team's hand and securing both a hefty payday and some long-term security. Even when players follow through on that threat it's often their hands that end up forced, as fines begin piling up and the financial cost of holding out becomes too much to bear.

However, with the Detroit Lions coming off their best season in over a decade and seemingly headed in the right direction for the first time in what feels like forever, it's essential that the Lions not only keep one of their core defenders in the fold but also avoid the distracting shadow that a contentious holdout can cast over a team's training camp.

There's still plenty of time to get a deal done. The Lions, however, need to pick up the pace of negotiations and make every effort to sign Avril to a long-term deal that not only will keep him in silver and blue for the foreseeable future but also will leave the franchise tag available for potential use on another player. Detroit must stay on the path that has led the team from the depths of futility to NFC contender.

It may not be easy and it certainly won't be cheap given the contracts signed by the likes of fellow defensive ends Ray Edwards of the Atlanta Falcons (five years, $30 million) and Charles Johnson of the Carolina Panthers (six years, $72 million), with the latter probably being a closer benchmark to what it will take to get a deal done with Avril, given those players' respective ages and resumes.

That said, if the Lions want to keep pace in the NFC North and build on last season's success it's a deal that needs to be made. Furthermore, since it's becoming clear that the Detroit Lions have no intention of letting Cliff Avril walk, it's in both their best interests to get an extension hammered out that will prevent the possibility of any ugliness down the road.