Lions center Dominic Raiola watched the team take center Travis Swanson in the third round of the NFL draft, and he didn’t feel great about it.
“Right when you see it, it’s hard. I mean, you’re human,” Raiola told the Detroit News. “That’s been my position for 12 years. Imagine someone trying to hit on your girlfriend or your wife after dating her for 12 years. It’s hard, but in our business, it’s the reality of it.”
We’ve never heard it put quite that way before, but there’s no question that when you’re a 35-year-old veteran like Raiola, a player at your position being drafted does feel like a strong sign that the team is getting ready to move on from you.
“It’s going to motivate me at some level,” Raiola said. “I don’t know how much more motivation I need. I want to go out on my terms, and I think that’s really the only motivation I need.”
Raiola is expected to hold off Swanson and remain the Lions’ starter, at least this year. But the drafting of Swanson indicates that the marriage between Raiola and the Lions may come to an end next year.
