Detroit Lions free agent guard Graham Glasgow wants to be back—and the Lions want him back, too.
The Detroit Lions have many impending free agents they will have to make a tough decision about in the upcoming month, but one that should take little time is guard Graham Glasgow. The veteran offensive lineman signed a one-year deal with the Lions last year, and after a very successful season, there is understandably mutual interest in Glasgow staying in Detroit for 2024.
During exit interviews with the media this week Glasgow said that the Lions have already let him know they want him back next season.
“They said, ‘We’d like to have you back and we appreciate what you did this year,’” Glasgow said, per the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers. “That’s cool. I appreciate that. But they even said it, ‘From here on out, it will just be us talking with your agent and seeing what we can do.’”
Those negotiations will be ongoing, but there is no relative hurry. Glasgow won’t become an unrestricted free agent until the start of the new league year (March 13), and Detroit can strike a deal with their in-home free agents any time before then.
Glasgow was initially signed as competition for a starting job and as valuable depth capable of playing both guard and center. But when right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai went down with a serious injury early in the year, Glasgow suddenly became a high-impact starter. He would end up starting 15 of 17 regular season games, including two starts at center and one at left guard. That kind of versatility—not to mention a high level of play, finishing ninth among all NFL guards in PFF grade (74.9)—make him one of the higher priority re-signings this offseason. That’s especially true when you consider the unclear future of left guard Jonah Jackson.
But it won’t be as cheap as it was for the Lions last year. Knowing that he had to prove himself following a couple of down years in Denver, Glasgow came to Detroit happy to reunite with old friends and accepted an affordable one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million. And while Glasgow specifically said he’d love to be back, he also knows he’s due a bit of a raise after the year they had.
“I think I had a really good year, probably top one or two of my career. I would like to make more money than I did this year and I would assume the guys upstairs know and understand that,” Glasgow said. “I feel like stuff like this kind of works. Hopefully, we’ll be able to work through it.”
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