Cliff Avril has yet to sign Detroit's $10.6 million franchise tender and doesn't figure to make an appearance at next week's mandatory minicamp. It has been reported that the two sides are $2 million per year apart in talks, putting the gap in the neighborhood of $8 million to $10 million for a four- to five-year deal. On Friday, Lions president Tom Lewand said "the ball's in (Avril's) court." A day later, the defensive end disagreed. "It's up to Tom," he told the Detroit Free Press. "It's up to Tom, and see where we can go with that." Avril expressed hope that "things will work themselves out" in time for training camp. "It's never personal," he explained. "I still have to work for these people. I still have to play football. You can't make it personal."