They shopped him privately and went public with their plans to move on, but an aging, big-ticket linebacker only has so much trade value in today's NFL.
On Tuesday, the Lions released veteran Jamie Collins, marking the end of another New England Patriot refugee's time in Detroit.
Collins was one of the Lions' top free agent additions in 2020, signing a three-year, $30 million contract under former general manager Bob Quinn and ex-head coach Matt Patricia.
[ Time is coming for Lions to start replacing moral victories with real ones ]
Quinn and Patricia, both from Bill Belichick's tree in New England, stocked their roster with Patriots castoffs, most of whom are now gone.