As far as Graham Glasgow is concerned, his time with the Lions is over.
While nothing is official, the offensive lineman is prepared to sign elsewhere when free agency opens next week after the Lions showed little interest over the past year in giving him a new deal. It's an odd decision on the part of Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia, considering how well Glasgow played over his four seasons in Detroit.
"But you don’t play football forever, so I think that being able to go somewhere else and make some money is an exciting thing.”
A third-round pick out of Michigan in 2016, Glasgow quickly grew into one of the Lions' most reliable players. He finished last season having started 53 of the team's past 54 games, while playing all three positions on the interior of the O-line. He was one of the top 10 guards in the NFL in 2019, per Pro Football Focus, after spending most of 2018 at center.
Now he's ready to cash in. Glasgow, one of the best interior linemen on the open market, should command a contract worth $10+ million per year.
"I’m just here waiting for Monday to come along and that’s when the legal tampering (period begins). Just kind of waiting to see what goes on there and we’ll go from there," he said. "Haven’t really heard too much from the Lions, so we’re just approaching it like that."
The Lions have nearly $50 million in cap space, but clearly aren't inclined to invest a chunk of it in Glasgow. They have about $20 million tied up in tackles Taylor Decker and Rick Wagner in 2020, with Decker up for a new deal in 2021. Center Frank Ragnow will be due an extension soon as well.
“It just kind of comes down to, it’s a business,” Glasgow said. “Like, it’s a business for them and I understand that you can’t pay everybody, so that’s fine.”
Glasgow's departure will leave Detroit with a major hole on the O-line -- possibly two, depending on the health of fellow guard Joe Dahl, whose 2019 season was cut short due to back surgery. He said he hasn't received an explanation for the team's decision and doesn't expect one.
“They’re pretty tight-lipped about a lot of stuff in there so I imagine that you’re not going to get an explanation to that and I probably really won’t either," said Glasgow. "So that's something that I’ve already accepted."