5 Free Agents Who Won't Be Signing with the Detroit Lions

The NFL offseason is a time of unchecked optimism. All teams, including the Detroit Lions, seemingly have an unlimited array of options to improve, and fans can't help but dream about the endless possibilities.

Guess what? I'm the neighbor who works third shift and stomps around his apartment loudly before your alarm goes off.

It's time to wake up. 

You need people like me. You need the realists to bring you the truth that the Lions won't be retaining or signing every game-breaker on the market.

So, with that in mind, take a deep breath and click through for five slides of reality.

DT Nick Fairley

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The Lions created an untenable situation when they declined to pick up Nick Fairley's fifth-year option. But don't count general manager Martin Mayhew among those ruing the move, according to Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News.

"No, I don't," Mayhew said. "At 11-5, 5-1 in our division, I feel good about what we did in preparation for this season. I wish we could have won those last two games. I wish we were still playing right now, but I don't have anything major I regret in terms of the offseason."

And he would be right. Fairley didn't deserve a guaranteed $5.5 million based on his spotty play in years prior. But the former first-rounder did build upon the kick in the rear and kicked his consistency into high gear by hiring a personal chef and keeping his weight in check.

Fairley never said the wrong thing in a day and age where everything eventually leaks. Instead, he responded with his second-best season, per Pro Football Focus, that had the potential of being his best if not for a knee injury.

	Run Def.	Pass Rush	Penalty
2011	1.5	4.0	-3.0
2012	6.3	16.4	-9.1
2013	-4.6	8.7	-6.7
2014	5.7	8.1	-4.0

All of this success and maturity is great for Fairley, but it's bad for the Lions. They're almost certainly going to make Ndamukong Suh the highest-paid defender in the league (until Darrelle Revis signs his new deal), leaving little for Fairley to feast on.

And since Fairley has attacked the preseason adversity, his price isn't going to fit into the team's budget. Another team that needs a potentially dominant defender is going to drive his price past the tipping point for Detroit.

CB Darrelle Revis

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

More than one fan has made mention of how the Lions could better use the money earmarked for Suh's huge salary. Some think Mayhew should spread the love around, while others have narrowed their list of targets considerably:

"

If rather have Revis than Suh on the Lions

— Not Golden Tate III (@notgt3) February 3, 2015"

That tweeter isn't a lone wolf prowling the Twitter-verse. Type "Revis" and "Lions" into the search function on Twitter and tweets from plenty of fans demanding the same will appear.

But it's not going to happen for multiple reasons.

First, the New England Patriots only have so long to capture championships with Tom Brady at the helm. Revis allowed head coach Bill Belichick considerable latitude in his defensive schemes by effectively shutting down whichever receiver he was tasked with. So don't be shocked if the Pats work out an extension with him or pick up his one-year, $20 million club option.

Second, and more importantly, Revis is going to cost more than Suh. He's one of the top dogs at a prime position. While plenty have balked at giving a defensive tackle the type of money Suh is likely to demand, Revis' deal will cost even more.

And that will hurt the Lions much more than Suh's contract would.

Suh dominates the interior of an offensive line, freeing up linebackers to meet ball-carriers in the hole. This creates a one-dimensional offense since teams will abandon the run.

Signing Revis will significantly weaken the interior of Detroit's defense because the Lions won't be able to retain Suh or Fairley. Considering Detroit has an up-and-comer at the cornerback position already, the Lions would be better served to keep the middle stout instead of making Darius Slay the best No. 2 cornerback in the NFL.

CB Chris Culliver

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Some fans have been a bit more reasonable in their demands for a new cornerback:

"

@DetroitOnLion 1 outside FA that you want Lions to go after in FA? I say CB Culliver from Niners

— Christian G (@Hip_hopsince85) January 14, 2015"

Chris Culliver would be a nice addition for any team. He's just 26 years old and finished the season with the 13th-highest grade among qualifying cornerbacks. There's a lot there to love.

However, the Lions won't land Culliver for a combination of the reasons provided for Fairley and Revis.

Culliver's youth means teams are going to value his future performance when determining their offers. His agent won't have any trouble creating a projection that ranks Culliver in the top 10 at his position, meaning his average salary is going to approach, if not exceed, $10 million.

The ninth-highest-paid cornerback today (Vontae Davis) makes $9 million per season. And the salary cap is only going up, which should drive up Culliver's value even further.

That's where the Revis reasoning comes into play. Detroit can't afford to pay for premium outside talent by softening up the middle.

G Mike Iupati

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

The Lions hadn't even left Dallas before guard Mike Iupati's name started getting bandied about in living rooms and on message boards:

"

Iupati would be such a great pickup for the lions this free agency

— Hank (@saad_robert) January 13, 2015"

The concept is simple: Fans have been treated so poorly by Rob Sims for the past couple of seasons that everybody else looks perfect by comparison. 

But is Iupati worth the contract he's going to garner? There are a few other guards who can boast the success the big 49er has had. He's been a key cog in a rushing offense whose worst finish the last three years was fourth.

A key concern—aside from the likely hefty contract—could be his pass protection. He was noticeably bad in this area, giving up as many hurries (22) in 2014 as the man he'd be hired to replace. And Detroit's biggest offensive problem, as Scott Bischoff pointed out in a very detailed column on New Era Scouting, was the combination of deep dropbacks and a low number of blockers. That mix requires better pass protection than Iupati may be capable of.

The value isn't there for a soon-to-be 28-year-old who will likely demand top-five pay.

G Orlando Franklin

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Orlando Franklin is the only other offensive lineman to get as much love from Lions fans on Twitter as Iupati. And one fan even found another reason to get behind the big man currently in front of Peyton Manning:

"

@davebirkett Lions may look at Orlando Franklin. I think Iupati may get franchised or I would say him. Denver has to keep Demaryius Thomas.

— TuffLynx (@tufflynx) January 13, 2015"

@TuffLynx has a point here: The Denver Broncos are in a real bind this offseason, since they have to pay wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas, neither of whom will come cheap.

But Denver's loss doesn't necessarily mean Detroit's gain. Franklin will be at the top of plenty of wish lists this offseason by virtue of his versatility. Not only is he a solid guard (13th-highest grade last year), but he also can handle a tackle spot better than most (17th in 2013).

The Lions won't be able to add another player with a high to midsize contract after they sign Suh. Golden Tate's five-year, $31 million deal would probably be too rich for this year's offseason depending on where the salary cap settles. So if Detroit wants to upgrade at left guard, general manager Martin Mayhew would be wise to look to the draft or for a cheaper free-agent option (Clint Boling?).

All salary-cap numbers are sourced from Spotrac.com. All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.