T.J. Hockenson is heading into his fourth season with the Detroit Lions, which means the team will eventually have to decide on whether or not they will use their fifth-year option on him.
But from the sounds of things, the Lions would prefer to sign Hockenson to a contract extension before it ever comes to having to use the option.
On Tuesday, Lions GM Brad Holmes spoke to the media and he told reporters he intends to use the fifth-year option on Hockenson if the team is not able to sign him to a long-term deal in the coming weeks.
Holmes said the Lions will execute the fifth-year option on Hockenson’s rookie contract if they are unable to strike a long-term deal with him in the coming weeks.
From Detroit Free Press:
“He’s a big part of what we did last year,” Holmes said. “It was unfortunate when he became unavailable for us. He’s another one that we’ll be continuing to lean on this year.”
Holmes also had internal discussions about signing CB Amani Oruwariye to an extension.
“Obviously, with Amani, with the ball production that he had, and just being a good teammate — he’s really developed as a leader — he’s going to be another one,” Holmes said. “He’s still a young guy, as often said sometimes, still has meat left on the bone. There’s still upside in him. Yeah, those guys will be important discussions that we’ll have to have for the future. But those guys are productive players for us and I’m excited about them this year.”
Nation, do you see Hockenson as a big part of the Lions’ future or do you think signing him to a long-term deal would be a mistake?
