Rob Sims

14 players manned left guard for the Detroit Lions in the decade before the team swung a trade for Rob Sims in 2010. In his five years with the Lions, Sims started all 80 games.

(AP Photo)

ALLEN PARK -- Add guard Rob Sims to the list of free agents who wants to be back with the Detroit Lions next season. But the nine-year veteran knows the drill. He understands he's down the list of offseason priorities for general manager Martin Mayhew and company.

"I think they have some bigger issues to nail down before me, you know what I mean? I'm OK with that," Sims said. "About the same weight, a lot younger, in his prime, one of the baddest men to ever do it. I get it."

Sims is referring to Ndamukong Suh, of course. Working out a long-term deal with the five-time All-Pro is priorities one, two and three for the organization this offseason.

But once Suh (or agent Jimmy Sexton) decides where he'll play going forward, Sims hopes he's able to re-up with the franchise that acquired him in a trade five seasons ago.

Before Sims, the Lions had major issues at left guard. 14 different players lined up at the spot the previous decade, between long-time starters Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola. Sims provided stability through consistency, starting 80 consecutive games for Detroit.

Not bad, given his initial impressions following the trade from Seattle to the Lions during the 2010 offseason.

"When I first walked in the door, I was very iffy about this whole thing here in Detroit," Sims said. "I thought this was the place where players went to die, to be honest. I thought my career took a bad shift. After a while, you realize you can make a home here and make some stuff happen here. The things we've done in the last five years, we've flipped the franchise, from 0-16 to a playoff contender."

While the team was reversing its fortunes, Sims was laying deep roots in Metro Detroit.

"This is our home," Sims said. "My children were born here. Me and my wife have built our family here, bought businesses here, the whole nine. Detroit is never, ever going to leave me and my heart. My charity work will always be here."

But staying with the Lions is up in the air. The team's offensive line struggled this season, ranking 29th in rushing yards per attempt and giving up 45 sacks, nearly double the amount from the year before. That suggests changes are in order.

Sims was part of problem, especially early in the year, as he struggled to regain form following offseason surgeries. But he really seemed to find his rhythm in the second half of the season, and over the final four games, he was rated the second-best left guard in the league by Pro Football Focus.

"I got stronger throughout the year and got over anything that was ailing me," Sims admits.

Days before the regular season finale, coach Jim Caldwell called Sims a settling influence. The coach valued not just the veteran's play, but what he brought in terms of leadership in the locker room.

Now the team needs to decide if Sims, as well as Raiola, another veteran free agent, are part of the team's future plans.

As of Monday, the last time Caldwell spoke with the local media, the Lions hadn't had those discussions.

"That's going to take us a little bit," Caldwell said. "Those are things we have to weigh out. We have to sit, we have to talk about them, we have to see how they work in terms of numbers."

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