AP

Cliff Avril played the first five seasons of his NFL career in Detroit, but this year the Lions haven’t shown much interest in him, either before or after he left for Seattle. And Avril finds that surprising.

Avril told Mike Freeman of CBS that Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek reached out to him after he signed with the Seahawks, but Avril has heard nothing from Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, General Manager Martin Mayhew or defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.

“No Schwartz, no Gunn, no Mayhew,” Avril said. “None of those guys. Kind of surprising. It is what it is.”

It’s not that surprising that the Lions are thinking more about their future than a player who departed, but Avril’s comments underline how far apart the player and the team ultimately became. A year ago the Lions put the franchise tag on Avril, offered him a long-term contract and viewed him as a key cog in what they hoped was the nucleus of a good young team. Now the Lions are content to let Avril walk, and they’re not calling him to say goodbye.