Tracy Walker Would Have Left Lions If Matt Patricia Was Head Coach
Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker decided to remain with the team that drafted him after exploring free agency.
In a radio interview with 97.1 The Ticket earlier this week, the talented safety revealed just how different the former regime treated players.
When Aidan Hutchinson performed "Billie Jean" in front of the team, the level of excitement reached epic levels, especially when his teammates joined us for the chorus.
For Walker, his skit was not exactly received the same way from the former regime.
“I had to do three skits. My first skit, we clowned on the coaches and they didn’t like that very much. Oh man, it was bad," Walker told hosts Mike Stone and Jon Jansen. "We had to wake up at 5:00 the next morning and redo that skit, made up another play and everybody laughed, but it still wasn’t what they wanted because we weren’t acting. So I had to do another skit.”
© Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Despite having offers from other teams and a possible offer for more money, the 27-year-old chose to remain in Detroit.
His decision would have been much easier if Matt Patricia was still in charge.
“I wouldn’t have came back,” Walker explained. “Just being honest, I wouldn’t have came back.”
Playing for the Lions' coaching staff, which is comprised of several former NFL players, has proven to many members of the roster the team now cares about the thoughts and opinions of those taking the field.
“I definitely had more teams, I had more money (offered), but at the end of the day, I know the situation might not have been the best for me,” Walker told reporters at training camp. “This was my best situation with everything that I was dealing with."
At the conclusion of last season, Walker shared that his comfortableness with the coaching staff and players on the roster would play a part in his decision-making process when he was about to enter free agency.
Throughout the spring, he reiterated just how much the belief the coaching staff had in him made his decision relatively easy to remain in Detroit.
"My coaching staff, I believe in these guys," Walker said. "They had a huge role in me wanting to come back. I believe in everything that these guys stand for and what they're all about. We're all on the same agenda. We all want to win. I've been here four years. I'm tired of losing in Detroit, and the coaches feel the same way.
