One surprise cut candidate from each NFL team in 2021
By Randy Gurzi
Detroit Lions: Jamie Collins, Linebacker
It’s not sure yet whether Dan Campbell is going to be a success as the head coach of the Detroit Lions but he will be interesting. So far, Campbell has already proven time and again that he will have no problem making headlines with his press conferences — and he’s also shown that he’s the complete opposite of Matt Patricia which could be a good thing.
Detroit also made some interesting moves in the offseason as they shipped off Matt Stafford — and in exchange, they got a lot of draft capital going forward as well as Jared Goff. What they don’t have are enough weapons around him.
The Lions elected to go with Penei Sewell from Oregon which left them with just Tyrell Williams, Breshad Perriman, and Amon-Ra St. Brown as the top targets in the passing game. What that means is, they’ll be reliant on their defense to pull off any wins. So why then, would they possibly move on from Jamie Collins? Simple, his salary and the fact that he might not be a scheme fit.
Collins is scheduled to make $7.3 million this season which is a lot of money for any linebacker, especially one that has always seemed to be at his best when playing in Matt Patricia’s defense. Perhaps the new regime won’t be as high on him, which could lead to his release.
If they did move on, Collins could be designated a post-June 1 cut, which would save them $2 million of his salary. It’s not a huge saving but it’s better than nothing.