Despite announcing to Fox Sports Wisconsin that the Lions had extended him an official offer, former free agent running back Cedric Benson apparently was not even on Detroit's radar, according to CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora:
Lions keeping eye on free agent RBs, like Ryan Grant, but never had interest in Cedric Benson -off field issues, age, # of carries a concern
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 14, 2012
This information stands in stark contrast with the previously held beliefs not only that the Lions actually offered Benson a deal, but also that the veteran runner actually spurned the Motor City in favor of playing with Aaron Rodgers on the Green Bay Packers. According to La Canfora's sources, none of the above actually happened, which is quite odd.
Benson doesn't really have a logical reason to lie about a contract offer, especially after signing with a team as good as the Packers. It's strange that he would even bother to mention the Lions at all to begin with if this new report is indeed true, but unless this is some awkward gamesmanship between two rival teams, there may be more to this story.
Stay with this StoryStream for more information about Benson's phantom contract offer, and be sure to check out Pride of Detroit for more Lions coverage. Head over to SB Nation's NFL hub for more news from around the league.