Lions GM Bob Quinn: Eric Ebron's contract was too prohibitive to trade

ORLANDO — As Bob Quinn canvassed the NFL looking for trade partners for Eric Ebron earlier this month, the Detroit Lions general manager received the same basic response from every team he talked to: "The number's too big."

With no team willing to take on Ebron's $8.25 million salary, the Lions released their polarizing tight end before the start of free agency.

Quinn, in his first public comments since the move, said Monday at the league meetings his decision to cut Ebron was purely a financial one, and he never considered signing Ebron to a longer deal that would have paid him less money in 2018.

"The salary that came along with the fifth-year option was something that we weighed really up until the last minute, to be honest," Quinn said. "It was just one of those things that we knew was coming down the pike. We obviously had some trade conversations with a few teams that didn’t work out, and so it came down to about the last hour or so before that 4 o’clock deadline."

The 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Ebron had an inconsistent career in Detroit.

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He showed flashes of talent, catching 186 passes for 2,070 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons, but also rubbed many the wrong way with his brash attitude, and never lived up to status as a high draft pick.

Last week, Ebron signed a two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts that reportedly will pay him $6.25 million this fall, with another $500,000 available in bonuses.

The Lions signed veteran free agent Luke Willson, a Windsor native who grew up a Lions fan, to replace Ebron, and remain in the market for more help at the position.

Quinn trumpeted Willson's versatility Monday, and said second-year tight end Michael Roberts could play an expanded role at the position in 2018.

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The Lions have two other tight ends on their roster in Hakeem Valles, who spent most of last season on the practice squad, and Brandon Barnes, who signed a futures contract after the season.

"(Luke has the) versatility to catch the ball, I think he has versatility to block on the line of scrimmage, off the line of scrimmage as a move blocker," Quinn said. "He’s actually a local guy from Windsor, so there was some mutual interest on him joining us as well.

"In Seattle, he’s had a bunch of tight ends kind of above him on the totem pole out there, including Jimmy Graham this year, so he’s a guy that we went back and watched film a couple years ago when he had more production. So I think he’s more than capable of catching the ball. I think that’s one of his strengths and he can run, so we’ll add him to the mix and kind of see how that goes.”

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Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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