Graham Glasgow is going to play in another uniform in 2020. The Detroit Lions regime led by GM Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia has elected to go in a different direction from their starting right guard and versatile interior lineman.
It’s not a well-received decision with much of the Lions fanbase. Glasgow is a success story, a Michigan grad who outplayed his third-round draft status as the team’s starting center and subsequent move to right guard. Glasgow is a solid starter, a consistent presence on the interior line next to standout Frank Ragnow.
It’s a decision that will tell us a lot about the fate of the Lions in 2020 and perhaps beyond. Quinn and Patricia drew a line in the sand in allowing Glasgow to hit free agency and get a lucrative contract, one he’s earned for his play with Detroit, from a different team.
That sand will morph into some fragile glass if they blow it with Glasgow and his eventual replacement.
Here’s the deal…
If the Lions let Glasgow walk away because they don’t see the value in paying a premium contract for a position they don’t deem requires a premium player, that’s fine. We can disagree with their rationale, but it’s at least a plan with some analytical merit and evidence to back it up. Patricia and Quinn have given every indication they like the way the rotating guard system worked last year, and paying big money for a rotational cog indeed makes no sense. It’s a justifiable business decision.
Now if the Lions go out and sign another free agent to replace Glasgow and spend about the same cap dollars to make it happen, then it’s time to get angry. Because at that point the team is admitting it was personal with Glasgow, and that’s not going to go over well in the Lions locker room.
As they did with Quandre Diggs at the trade deadline, they would be letting it be known that a good player, a respected teammate and a hard-working veteran is not welcome in Detroit. That’s the exact message signing someone like Joe Thuney or Quinton Spain to a deal that’s close in value, or (God forbid) exceeds what Glasgow gets elsewhere.
If Quinn and Patricia don’t understand that concept, they’re not going to last much longer in Detroit. Or anywhere in the NFL, for that matter…