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Lions Not Yet Working On Contract Extension With DeAndre Levy

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

PHOENIX - In defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the Detroit Lions lost a star to free agency this offseason. In linebacker DeAndre Levy, the Lions have another playmaker who could go the same route next offseason.

Obviously, the Lions would like to lock up Levy with a contract extension before he hits free agency in a year. Before the 2014 season, with Suh heading into the last year of his contract, the Lions chose to table negotiations until the end of the season.

With Levy, the Lions might negotiate into the season if need be, though team president Tom Lewand is not sure what will happen because Detroit has not yet engaged in any contract extension talks with Levy.

"It's way too early to be getting into any of those discussions," Lewand said Tuesday in a sit-down with Detroit reporters at the owners meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. "I do think that you can have guidelines when it comes to negotiating; I'm not sure that when it comes to negotiating that policies or guidelines are ever absolute. We've done deals during the season, we've had deals where we don't talk during the season.

"In the case of DeAndre, we haven't even begun conversations with him, so I wouldn't know where those would take us, and we'll see where it goes, but every circumstance is a little bit different," Lewand continued, "and we'll see where those conversations, once they start, take us."

Levy played all 16 games for the Lions in 2014 and recorded 151 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception and five passes defended. Levy's 2015 season will be his seventh in the league.

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