Detroit Lions star defensive back Darius Slay plans to skip minicamp as he holds out for a new deal.
According to Pride of Detroit late Monday afternoon, the defensive sensation said on Instagram live that he’s not going to be attending mandatory activities.
By doing so, he’ll forfeit a $250,000 workout bonus.
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There’s no reason to panic right now if you’re a Lions fan like myself. Players holdout for more money all the time. It’s just the nature of the business. (RELATED: One Graphic Shows How Absurdly Dominate Barry Sanders Was In College)
However, it might be time to smash the panic button if this carries through the start of the season. Slay is one of the best defensive backs in all of football, and he’s a major part of the defense for the Lions.
Not having him on the field due to a contract issue would be huge for the team.
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There’s a lot of things looking up for Detroit this year after beefing up the offense for Matthew Stafford, and we really don’t want to kill the momentum by not having our best defensive player show up for training ahead of the season. Trust me, that’s not a recipe for success.
I’m not sure how much Detroit should pay Slay if they decide to give him a new contract, which might have to happen to get him back on the field.
He’s got two years left on his current deal, but it appears like the guaranteed money is pretty much gone. My guess is that’s a major part of the issue here.
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Let’s hope the Lions get this situation figured out sooner than later. We need Slay on the field. It’s that simple.