Tag: No

After failing to trade the fourth overall pick from the 2017 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars are releasing running back Leonard Fournette.

Many Detroit Lions fans clamored for the team to find a way to secure Fournette in 2017 — they selected Jarrad Davis 21st overall instead — and now that he has been released, the Lions have an opportunity to put in a claim and potentially secure his rights — they sit third on the waiver wire.

While Fournette is a draw in name draw and has rushed for 2631-yards in his three years in the NFL, the Lions should not put in a claim for him.

Fournette was scheduled to make $8.6 million in Jacksonville this season, way too high a cost for a team that is in full-blown rebuild mode and looking to enter the season with a running back by committee approach.

By releasing Fournette, the Jaguars will incur a $4.4 million dollar cap hit, leaving $4.2 on the final year of his contract — something a team would have to take on if they claimed him.

For reference, the Lions, who are also taking a running back by committee approach, are only spending a combined $6.8 million on Kerryon Johnson, D’Andre Swift, Ty Johnson, Jason Huntley, Bo Scarbrough, Jonathan Williams, and Wes Hills.

Adding a player who makes $4.2 million is counterproductive to the approach they have taken to reduce costs at this position.

The Lions do have around $24 million in cap space but with contract extensions coming for Kenny Golladay and Taylor Decker in the near future, the Lions cap number is likely to be reduced before the regular season. Add in the fact that the 2021 cap that is going to take a massive hit, likely being reduced by over $23 million, and it further complicates matters.

$4 million might not seem like a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but every penny spent this season takes away from the Lions potential rollover fund, which will impact next season’s salary cap. When investing in a player who will be here for future years — like Golladay and Decker — it makes sense to invest money into them because you are getting a return. But for a player like Fournette, who is on a one year deal, the cost-benefit doesn’t make sense.

For example, spending $4 million by claiming Fournette now, not only reduces their ability to spend money in 2020, but in turn, it also reduces next year’s rollover money by $4 million, and that will reduce the Lions 2021 cap.

Now, if Fournette passes through waivers and is willing to play at a significantly reduced salary — which seems unlikely —  the Lions may consider him, but at $4.2 million, they should definitely not put in a waiver claim.