Mike Daniels Taking a Lesser Deal in Detroit Proves He Clearly Wants Revenge on Packers
By Michael Luciano
After climbing his way up the NFL totem pole from fourth-round pick to rotational lineman to elite run-stuffer, Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels found himself out of a job. Daniels was released, likely due to his poor fit within Mike Pettine's defense as compared to Za'Darius Smith and first-round pick Rashan Gary.
It didn't take long for Daniels to find a job, as he inked a one-year deal with the division rival Detroit Lions. After looking at how he left a chunk of money on the table, his motives became perfectly clear.
The #Lions gave DL Mike Daniels a 1-year deal worth $9.1M with $7.8M guaranteed... and of the 13 teams who called, four other teams were willing to do that deal or better. But the former #Packers star wanted to play for coach Matt Patricia... and stay in the division.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 26, 2019
Daniels wanted to punch his old team in the mouth for giving up on him.
While injuries limited Daniels to 10 games, 18 tackles, and a pair of sacks, he still has Pro Bowl football left in the tank, and Matt Patricia gets to add him to a suddenly stacked defensive line in Detroit.
Ever since Greg Jennings left Green Bay to join the Minnesota Vikings, there has been a noticeable trend of surprise cuts joining NFC North rivals for revenge. Guard Josh Sitton and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix joined the Bears, while offensive lineman TJ Lang also swapped Green Bay for Detroit.
If you're having a bad day, here's a picture of TJ Lang decked out in #Lions gear. pic.twitter.com/joKMM89ANo
— Lions Daily (@CatchLikeCalvin) April 25, 2017
Trend follower or not, Daniels joined a situation in which he'll be guaranteed playing time and will get not one, but two opportunities to stick it to his former team.