The Detroit Lions' tendered contract offers were sent out days ago. Since there hasn't been an official announcement, the news about which players received one is coming out in bits and pieces.
Earlier this week, we found out that defensive end Cliff Avril received a tender at the first- and third-round level. That means that if Avril were to sign an offer sheet with another team, the Lions would receive a first- and third-round draft pick as compensation if they declined to match it.
Since the Avril news, six more names of tendered players have come out:
- Cornerback Chris Houston was tendered at an unknown level.
- Safety John Wendling received an original-round tender. Because he was a sixth-round pick upon entering the league, that is the compensation the Lions would receive if he ended up elsewhere and his offer sheet wasn't matched by Detroit.
- Offensive guard/center Dylan Gandy and fullback Jerome Felton received an original-round tender as well. Gandy was a fourth-round pick and Felton was selected in the fifth round.
- Cornerbacks Prince Miller and Paul Pratt both were tendered as exclusive rights free agents. They are not free to negotiate with other teams, so they have to either sign the tender or not play next season. Of course, a lockout could prevent all players from playing, and whenever a new CBA is in place, some of these players could become unrestricted free agents.