Haloti Ngata has long been a big veteran presence for the Detroit Lions defensive line. He did the dirty work on the interior of the run defense, and his value was perhaps best noticed when he finally left the field, and Detroit's run defense sort of fell apart.

The five-time Pro Bowler is now 33 years old, fresh off biceps surgery and headed for free agency, but he told 97.1 The Ticket that he'd like to keep on playing, and he'd like to do it in Detroit.

"If I finished the year healthy, I would have been a little closer to retiring," Ngata told the Jamie and Stoney show Friday. "But I want to finish a season, so I want to keep on playing."

Ngata played just five games this season before he went to injured reserve. He was active with the team even after the fact, serving as somewhat of a player-coach. He became the team's nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and has been active promoting the cause.

Detroit's run defense had a clear drop-off after Ngata left. The Lions were allowing 74.6 yards per game in the five weeks he played, good for a top-five mark in the league. In the 11 games without him, opponents averaged 130 yards on the ground.

Ngata arrived to the Lions via a trade from the Baltimore Ravens in 2015. He was coveted as a replacement for All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who departed to the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Ngata didn't reach that level, but he did provide leadership as well as a stout presence against the run with the occasional ability to drop back into coverage as well.

The Lions were 3-2 with Ngata and 6-5 without. They came up a game short of the playoffs at 9-7, and it's worth wondering if better run defense could have propelled them to their third postseason in four years.

It's something Ngata has thought about, and it tempts him to return to Detroit if the Lions will have him.

Of course, that's up to the next coaching staff, as much of this one expects to depart. And it depends on general manager Bob Quinn's direction with the team.

"I loved being able to be here and help Detroit have more dominance in this league," Ngata told The Ticket. "We've had winning seasons. I just want to continue to help build this franchise and get it to where it can be a dominant franchise and a great team. I definitely want to be here and I definitely want to keep on playing."