The Detroit Lions, who finished just shy of their first Super Bowl, will most certainly want to reunite the band as often as possible in 2024. Offensive lineman Graham Glasgow would rather be back in Detroit. However, Glasgow made it obvious that he would seek a higher salary next season as well.
“I would love to be back,” Glasgow remarked, according to Justin Rogers of The Detroit News. “I believe I had a very good year, possibly the best of my career.
“I’d prefer to make more money than I did this year, and I’d imagine the folks up there know and understand that. I believe that something like this works. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to work it out.”
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The Lions signed their 2016 third-round pick to a one-year contract to be a reserve interior offensive lineman in 2023.
However, Glasgow ended up starting 15 games. He played 75 snaps at all three interior offensive line positions, with the majority of his work coming at right guard.
Graham Glasgow Says Detroit Lions Want Him Back
While Glasgow made it obvious that he wanted a better paycheck, the Lions also laid all of their cards on the table.
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The veteran offensive tackle informed Rogers that the team expressed a wish to renew his contract.
“Yeah, they said, ‘We’d like to have you back, and we appreciate what you did this year,'” Glasgow stated during his farewell interview. “That is cool. I appreciate it. But they even mentioned it: “From now on, it will just be us talking with your agent and seeing what we can do.”
Glasgow received a base salary of $1.5 million in 2023. His one-year contract included a $930,000 signing bonus and a $250,000 roster bonus.
Pro Football Focus predicts a substantial wage raise for the 31-year-old in 2024. PFF anticipated his next contract will be for $13 million, with $6.5 million guaranteed.
Glasgow needs to be paid more based on his performance. He was a member of the Detroit offensive line, which was one of the finest in the NFL in 2023.
PFF evaluated Glasgow as the tenth-best guard overall, with a player grade of 74.9 out of 100.
The Lions selected Glasgow at No. 95 overall in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. After four seasons with the team, he received a $44 million contract to join the Denver Broncos.
Following three seasons in Denver, Glasgow returned to Detroit on a low wage to be in familiar surroundings.
“To play with Taylor [Decker], to play with Frank [Ragnow], it just came down to I wanted to be a part of that O-line room,” Rogers said of Glasgow. “I wanted to be back with my friends. And I wanted to be a member of this team.”
Questions on Lions Offensive Line Heading into 2024
In addition to Glasgow, left guard Jonah Jackson is an upcoming free agent.
Jackson turns 27 in February, while Graham will be 32 in July. Jackson is probably the favored guard to keep. However, Jackson will cost more.
The Lions had $61 million in cap space as of February 1, ranking ninth in the NFL, according to Spotrac. However, the team has several of its own players to sign contract extensions, including quarterback Jared Goff.
The Lions will most likely pick up tackle Penei Sewell’s fifth-year option. However, in a perfect world, the team would also sign him to a long-term contract.
