On Monday afternoon, the Detroit Lions and franchise tendered defensive end Cliff Avril failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract prior to the 4 p.m. deadline on July 16, which means Avril will be forced to play the 2012 season under a franchise tender of $10.6 million.
As the clock passed 4 p.m., both sides released statements expressing disappointment in not getting a deal done and Avril explained that he would probably not be reporting to training camp but expected to play in all 16 games of the regular season.
Despite the disappointment, Avril told NFL Network's Albert Breer that the sides were close and that he is still interested in working out a long-term commitment with the Lions.
Most notably, he hopes to win a Super Bowl with the team some day soon.
"We were close, I thought we should've gotten it done, we could've gotten it done, but we didn't," he said. "They were firm on what they believed in, we were firm on what we believed in, what the market would bear. We couldn't get it done, but I definitely want to be with the Lions.
"I was on the 0-16 team, so it'd be amazing to be part of a big winning streak here, or a Super Bowl champion(ship)," he said. "It'd be a great ending to something that started so bad. But sometimes the business aspects of this league don't allow those stories to be told, because of the financial side of this. I would love to be here."
Avril reportedly rejected a three-year, $30 million final offer from the Lions on Monday because he hopes to sign a deal similar to the five-year, $55 million deal given to Calais Campbell by the Arizona Cardinals.
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