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Lions might get creative in offer to Hargrove | ProFootballTalk.com

Lions might get creative in offer to Hargrove
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 3, 2010 9:34 PM ET
The Detroit Lions' interest in New Orleans Saints restricted free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove is well established. Hargrove visited Detroit last month, and Lions coach Jim Schwartz said he thinks Hargrove could be an every-down player on the Lions' defensive line.

But Tim Twentyman of the Detroit News notes a previously overlooked (at least by us) detail in the Lions' pursuit of Hargrove: Hargrove's agent, Philip Williams, was also the agent for Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew when Mayhew was an NFL player. And Twentyman writes that since the Saints would prefer to keep Hargrove, Mayhew and Williams might get creative in structuring an offer that the Saints wouldn't match.

In other words, the Lions could put a poison pill in their offer to Hargrove that would make it difficult or impossible for the Saints to match, like making the contract fully guaranteed if he plays at least five games in Louisiana in 2010.

No team has used a poison pill since the Vikings and Seahawks did it to each other with the contracts of Steve Hutchinson and Nate Burleson four years ago. Mayhew doesn't say the Lions will do it with Hargrove, but if they want to "get creative" in an effort to keep the Saints from matching their offer, a poison pill would be an effective way to do it.

And Mayhew does say his relationship with Hargrove's agent is a big reason for his pursuit of Hargrove, a talented player who has had off-field problems including a one-year suspension for a third failed drug test.

"I probably wouldn't even be in [discussions for Hargrove] if it wasn't for my relationship with Phil," Mayhew said. "We probably would have seen [Hargrove] as a talented guy, [but] there had been enough questions where we wouldn't be at this point."

The Lions are at least at the point where they're considering signing Hargrove to an offer sheet. They have until April 15 to do it.


This is all conjecture; but who knows? Could be bad news.

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Tobias-Reiper

... and this is why the Lions have sucked, suck, and will keep on sucking for years to come: if you are a GM in the NFL, you are NOT buddy-buddy with players' agents. One thing is to pursue a player because you think he's talented and he's going to help your team, another is because your buddy is his agents and telling you he's talented. I don't care what type of relationship they had before, the agent is a lawyer and he's looking for the best for his client, not the Lions.

Choupique

Why on earth would anyone want to leave ANY other team for the Lions!?

CheramieIII

Ditto Que! If I were Hargrove I would tell those SOB's to get bent and that I didn't want to play for them and they would probably back off.

saintsfan1976

Maybe Scott Fujita has a clue.

strato

I thought he was going to resign?...man he cant leave for the Lions..,Oh yes he can...lol

strato

The frikin Poison Pill...

voodooido

Money, Money, Money. I see a trade if anything. Maybe a 3rd this year with condtional pick next year.

Rugby Saint II

Hargrove is a key piece to our depth........we are not deep enough to lose him.

homerj07

We need AH. The poison pill concept sucks. I would think they would need to pay a LOOOOOT more money for someone to go to Detroit. BUT I am looking at it from the perspective of a fan of the game not a player.