Now that Matthew Stafford's mega deal is done, what's next for the Detroit Lions?

From a contractual standpoint, the Lions have a handful of starters who are scheduled to hit free agency next year, including center Travis Swanson, cornerback Nevin Lawson, safety Tavon Wilson, linebacker Tahir Whitehead and defensive linemen Haloti Ngata and Ziggy Ansah.

Swanson played at a Pro Bowl level for most of last season before he missed the final four games with a concussion. At age 26, he seems like a player worth building around, though left guard Graham Glasgow always could slide to his natural position at center if a deal doesn't get done.

Lawson has been generally solid in his two seasons as a starter, and teams can never get enough cornerback help. But the Lions did take two corners in this year's draft who they hope will be ready to contribute in 2018.

The Lions also have cheap, young talent in the pipeline behind Wilson (Miles Killebrew) and Whitehead (Reeves-Maybin), and Ngata, who turns 34 in January, is a candidate to retire after the year (something he considered in January).

That leaves Ansah, the Lions' oft-injured pass rusher, as the most important pending free agent on the roster, and someone who's future could be directly affected by Stafford's deal.

More:Bob Quinn: Ziggy Ansah should be ready for season

Ansah emerged as one of the NFL's best defensive ends in 2015, when he finished third in the league with 14.5 sacks and forced four fumbles.

Last year, his play dropped precipitously because of a high-ankle injury he suffered in Week 2 that lingered throughout the year.

Ansah, who had just two sacks last season, has spent the entire summer on the physically unable to perform list, and given his injury history — he also underwent a significant shoulder surgery after the 2013 season — the Lions need not be in any hurry to sign him to a long-term deal.

Yes, the possibility exists that Ansah could bolt as a free agent and leave the Lions without any real pass-rush threat in 2018. But the Lions also have the franchise tag at their disposal to keep Ansah around.

For defensive ends, the tag projects to roughly $18 million in 2018. And while that's a hefty chunk of change, it might make more sense for the Lions to use the pay-as-you-go approach with the 28-year-old defensive end.

Two years ago, Ansah seemed like a sure bet to land a long-term contract with the Lions. Now, that doesn't seem like the wisest use of the team's resources.

By signing Stafford to his five-year, $135 million extension, the Lions kept the franchise tag option open for this fall. And with the crazy not-quite-quarterback money that pass rushers command on the open market these days, that may turn out to be an important side benefit of getting the deal done.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!