On Monday, Lions coach Jim Caldwell called re-signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh a top priority on the team’s offseason to-do list, but it is far from the only decision that the team will be making this offseason.
Defensive tackle Nick Fairley is also heading toward free agency and said Monday that he’d like to spend the coming years in Detroit after a knee injury knocked him out for all but seven games this season.
“I want it to be,” Fairley said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I love Detroit, to be honest. I feel the city, the people in it. I love the atmosphere of basically the hard work that they bring. I’m just all work and that’s definitely the vibe I get from the city and I like it.”
Fairley practiced last week and said his knee was feeling well enough that he expected to play in the divisional round if the Lions beat the Cowboys last Sunday. His return to Detroit will likely be linked to how things play out with Suh as the Lions could have a hard time fitting salaries for both players under the cap and C.J. Mosley offers them a less expensive option if they want continuity in the interior of the line.
Running back Reggie Bush isn’t going to be a free agent, but he was also talking about his future on Monday. Bush dealt with ankle injuries in 2014 and saw Joique Bell become the top back in Detroit while Theo Riddick filled some of the roles Bush occupied in the past. He’s set to count $5.2 million against the cap in 2015, which might make his spot on the roster vulnerable.
“I do know the business side of it,” Bush said. “And I know that I have a contract that says I’m here for another two years, so that’s the business side of it. Until somebody tells me otherwise, that’s when I’m planning on being back.”
Bush ran for 297 yards this season and added 40 catches while playing in 11 games.
