Detroit defensive end Cliff Avril said Wednesday that he doesn't want the Lions to use the franchise tag on him.
"I definitely don’t want to be franchised," Avril said during a visit to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, the Detroit Free-Press reported. "I mean, I’ve been in Detroit for four years, and I wouldn’t mind being there for another couple more years or whatnot. The franchise tag kind of makes it a yearly thing, and you want security. You want to know you’re going to be there for a couple years so your family can get comfortable."
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew hasn't used the franchise tag in his prior three offseasons, but said last month that "you never know what might happen."
"They quote-unquote don’t want to use it anyway, so we’ll see," Avril said.
Avril started all 16 games last season and posted a career-high 11 sacks.