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Quinn: Incentives make players 'earn' their money

Lions coach Jim Caldwell talks about the return of DTs Tyrunn Walker and Haloti Ngata, plus the return of Tahir Whitehead and Teryl Austin at the NFL owners meeting. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Tyrunn Walker played just four games last year before a broken leg sent him to season-ending injured reserve, but the Detroit Lions liked what he did enough that they wanted to re-sign him before he became a free agent this off-season.

When it came time to negotiate, Walker and the Lions agreed to a one-year deal with a slew incentives that both protect the team from more injuries and reward the player for producing at a high level -- a contract that has become a staple of the new Lions regime.