Haloti Ngata: 'I'd love to stay' with Lions next season

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is tentatively slated to become an unrestricted free agent in early March, but it doesn't appear as though he's eager to test the open market.

Ngata, who landed in Detroit in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens last year, told the team's official website Friday that he'd prefer to stick with the club heading into 2016.

"I'd love to stay," Ngata said. "I love what coach (Jim) Caldwell has done here. I love playing under him and (defensive line) coach Kris (Kocurek). I feel like I got in a groove at the end of the season and hopefully I can play a full season understanding the system."

Hampered by injuries throughout training camp and the preseason, Ngata was slow to make an impact in his first year with the team.

The five-time Pro Bowler was able to get healthy as the year wore on, however, emerging as a key contributor in the Lions' impressive 6-2 finish to the regular-season schedule.

With a lack of defensive tackle depth heading into the offseason, Detroit's new front-office team should be expected to open negotiations with Ngata in the coming weeks.

The 32-year-old has now played 10 seasons since joining the Ravens as a first-round pick in the 2006 draft, consistently producing as one of the league's top interior run defenders over that span.