Back to the Detroit Lions Newsfeed

What's the deal with George Johnson's offer sheet?

Why exactly are the Detroit Lions disputing the offer sheet that George Johnson signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? It all revolves around de-escalators that are present in the contract.

There was a lot of confusion on Monday when news broke about the Detroit Lions contesting restricted free agent George Johnson's offer sheet with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Was there a "poison pill" included in the contract? Did the Lions want the deal to be voided so Johnson would revert back to them on his original-round tender? Were they just trying to delay the process for some reason?