Tight end Brandon Pettigrew is the Lions' most prominent free agent, one of four starters heading for unrestricted free agency. The front office won't decide how to proceed until new coach Jim Caldwell's entire staff is in place, reports the Detroit Free Press.
“We need to sit down and talk with the coaching staff and see how we value guys that we have who are free,” Mayhew told the paper. “I think that we’re still in the process of discussing what we look like on offense, what we look like on defense and how that all comes together. So I think that’s a pretty important conversation to have.”
Mayhew said he's "not sure yet" whether the franchise tag would be an option for Pettigrew, 29. Pettigrew caught 41 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns, his lowest output since his rookie year of 2009. He wouldn't appear to be worth the tag, which projects as $6.7 million for tight ends.