When talking with reporters Thursday, safety Glover Quin seemed amazed that four years have already flown by in Detroit.
He signed a five-year contract before the 2013 season, which means he's entering the final year of his contract in 2017. Quin said he's reached out to the Lions to express his interest in signing an extension.
"It's kind of weird I've been out here going on five years now," Quin said. "I would love to be here in Detroit, and if I sign an extension, I'd probably finish my career here – that'd be huge for me. But I can't control that. I don't know if it's going to happen, when it's going to happen. My job is like I've always said since I've been here and been in the league, I'm a player. So I just play, and I'll let the coaches coach, the managers manage, and the trainers train.
"If they feel like I deserve that and I've earned that, then they'll make it happen. If not, then I'll play my year in Detroit and say goodbye to you good people."
Quin has been one of the best free safeties in the NFL over the last four seasons. He's picked off 16 passes over that span, even leading the NFL with seven in 2014. He played in the Pro Bowl that season and was named second-team All-Pro.
Maybe even more impressive is the fact that Quin hasn't missed a single game while a member of the Lions. In fact, he's started 116 straight regular-season games dating back to his first four seasons in the league in Houston, which is more than anyone else at his position.
Quin was one of just four defenders in the league last year to play in all of their team's snaps. That total was 1,027 for Quin.
He battled ankle issues over the years, putting his iron-man streak in jeopardy at times, but he said he's feeling the best he has in years.
"My body feels good, actually," he said. "I feel like I'm 25 again. Like, I actually feel better now than I felt probably last year. When the season was over with, I had a birthday, and I turned 31, and my wife was like, 'Hey now, you know the older you get, you can't take that off time like you used to take. It's a little harder to get the weight off and get in shape.'
"I think I went home on, like, Tuesday after the season. I think Thursday I was in the gym with her. I wasn't lifting, but just kind of running, staying active, and now I feel like I'm 25 again. Now am I ready to play a game right now? Nah. But as far as just running around, feeling good, feeling loose and no body aches and stuff like that, I feel really good."
