Lions fielding trade calls for Jamie Collins
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed Thursday the team is fielding trade calls for linebacker Jamie Collins, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com.
Campbell said Detroit, which kicked off a major rebuild this offseason and has started the year 0-2, wants to reduce Collins' role in order to give other players more opportunity - in particular, rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes.
Collins, whose attitude Campbell commended, has been held out of practice and wasn't present at the club's facility Thursday.
The 31-year-old led the Lions with 101 tackles in 2020 during his first year with the team. He started Detroit's first two games this season, racking up 10 tackles and one quarterback hit.
A second-round pick in 2013, Collins began his career with the New England Patriots, where he's spent time across two different stints (2013-16, 2019). The former Pro Bowler has also played for the Cleveland Browns (2016-18).
Collins has two years left on his contract. He converted $5 million of his salary into a signing bonus in March and has a base salary of $3.8 million in 2021, according to Spotrac.
Detroit was outscored 50-76 across its season-opening losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers.