Detroit Lions: Need To Pick Up Option On Riley Reiff

By Andrew C. Fisher | Apr 15, 2015

The Detroit Lions have to be feeling pretty good about what they accomplished last season. After a dreadful campaign in 2013 they bounced back to make the playoffs for just the second time in the past 15 years. But if they’re going to stand any chance of making it back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since 1994 and ’95, they’ll have to plug some holes in the upcoming NFL draft.

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One of those holes is along the offensive line. Many mock drafts have the Lions using their No. 23 pick on an offensive tackle, a move which could end up sending Riley Reiff to the right tackle position or maybe even guard. However, it’s all just speculation at this point.

What’s not speculation is the fact that the Lions have a fifth-year option on Reiff they’ve yet to pick up. General manager Martin Mayhew was noncommittal on the topic when asked a few weeks back.

“I’m not going to get into that right now. We haven’t made a final determination on how that process is going to go,” said Mayhew via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He’s a heck of a good football player. There’s a lot of speculation about (whether) we’re going to move him. I think he can play anywhere he wants to play and play at a high level.”

“I’m not going to get into that right now. We haven’t made a final determination on how that process is going to go. He’s a heck of a good football player. There’s a lot of speculation about (whether) we’re going to move him. I think he can play anywhere he wants to play and play at a high level.” – Martin Mayhew

Reiff’s fifth-year option would cost Detroit the average of the 25 highest paid players at the position, excluding the top three. His salary in 2016 could then be north of $7.5 million, according to Birkett.

When it comes to reliable offensive line talent in the NFL, that’s money well spent in my book. Reiff has started every game but one over the past two seasons and it’s obvious that he’s going to be good for many years to come. He’s also proving to be a good teammate with his willingness to play any position moving forward.

That’s the kind of guy you want on your team.

Maybe if the Lions were brimming with talent up front it’d be a different story. But when there’s already a need at offensive line and you’re relying on a draft pick to basically start from day one, it doesn’t seem like a risk worth taking.

Yes, the fifth-year option only delays an inevitable contract extension for Reiff down the road, but that’s something the Lions can deal with in the summer of 2017. Or, they could even work out a new deal before things get to that point. The options are still wide open at this point.

With a franchise quarterback to protect (one that was sacked 45 times in 2014), Detroit needs to stop deliberating and make the smart move to at least pick up the fifth-year option on Riley Reiff. It doesn’t matter where they put him, just find him a spot and he’ll continue to perform at a high level.

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