The Detroit Lions have Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and CJ Mosley hitting free agency this offseason and if any of those players leave, the team may look at Terrance Knighton as an option on the free agent market, as he is one of the top defensive tackles and this comes as the Lions are trying to sign back Suh and also may consider the release if Reggie Bush.
The Lions are coming off of a playoff season under Jim Caldwell and they would like to keep that going. The offense has stars in Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate and now the Lions have to try and keep some of their defensive talent. The Lions main priority is to keep Ndamukong Suh, as he is one of the best defensive players in football and has helped the Lions defense perform as the top unit against the run. According to general manager Martin Mayhew, the team feels "optimistic" that they can sign Suh over other clubs on the market.
Adam Schefter reported earlier in the offseason that Suh wants to be paid near what JJ Watt made, which means a deal of at least seven figures and $50 million guaranteed. Suh has had his on the field and off the field issues, but it would be hard to argue that he is not one of the best players at his position in the league. Suh had 8.5 sacks last season and helped the Lions have the top ranked defense against the run. Suh is an All-Pro talent and if the Lions let him hit the market in free agency, there will be many teams going after him.
The Lions have money tied up in Stafford and Johnson and that could hurt them as they try and keep Suh, but Mayhew said he has confidence that a deal will get done. The Lions would like to keep both Suh and Fairley, but it's likely at least one of them will leave. The Lions can fall back on Fairley if Suh leaves, but signs point to Suh being retained. Terrance Knighton is another option on the market that Lions could look at if they lose their players, as he is a free agent after a solid season with the Broncos.
Knighton had 30 tackles and two sacks in 16 games last season and Josina Anderson on Twitter reports that there have been no contract talks with the Broncos so far. Pro Football Talk reports that Knighton could be a target for the Raiders after he played under new head coach Jack Del Rio in Denver, while the Lions, Jets and Browns also could be in the mix. The Browns and Raiders have a ton of salary cap space to spend along with the Jaguars and the NY jets and all of those teams could be potential options for Suh and Knighton as well as Fairley.
The Lions may look at letting go of Reggie Bush this offseason to save some money on the cap, as GM Martin Mayhew said at the combine that Bush's future in Detroit is not certain. The team would only save about $2 million by cutting Bush and his $3.25 million salary, but Suh asking for so much, every dollar is important. Bush is 29 years old and is coming off of an injury plagued season and the team also has confidence in Joique Bell and Theo Riddick.