The Detroit Lions made a big splash in free agency when they signed former Bengals defensive lineman DJ Reader. Arguably one of the best nose tackles in the NFL. Before they could sign him, they brought him in for a visit in Detroit. That’s where they took a bit of confident risk.
The Lions flew Reader into Detroit one way and never booked a return flight. They did not plan to let him leave Detroit without a contract.
“I’m telling you I look at that itinerary and I’m like alright It’s got to be a flight home and then it was like nah.” Reader said on Up and Adams on Tuesday. “Then I kept asking my agent like yo, when am I gonna get the flight home? He said ‘they said they’re going to book it.’ It’s like five in the afternoon and I still don’t have a flight back to the crib. I’ve been up here since eight. He was like ‘it don’t seem like they’re trying to let you out this building.’
Turns out that was the Lions plan. They were going to get this deal done with Reader and make sure that he was a Lion when he left the building. Reader even said that someone with the Lions told him he wasn’t leaving until the deal was done.
“I was walking by a door and some dude shouted ‘we ain’t letting you out the building until we get a deal done.’ Reader said. “I don’t know who it was. I didn’t even look a the door when he said it. I just remember those words being said as I walked by.”
The Lions did wind up getting the deal done with Reader that day and they allowed him to leave the building too. I’m guessing they also bought him a plane ticket home.