The Detroit Lions front office made it an offseason priority to keep most of their core together for a Super Bowl run in 2025. Despite the significant changes in the coaching staff, the Lions wanted to retain most of their key free agents for next season.

 

That doesn’t mean, however, that there will not be new faces on the team. One of the biggest changes came in the secondary. Carlton Davis signed with the New England Patriots and was replaced by D.J. Reed. Kindle Vildor and Ifeatu Melifonwu also left in free agency.

 

Another secondary defender the Lions signed was Detroit native Avonte Maddox. The 28-year-old, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Eagles, is returning home on a one-year deal. Recently, Maddox’s video from four years ago showing his Lions tattoo surfaced. In the footage, he shows the inside of his left arm with the Lions logo and the words “Lion Hearted”.

 

Avonte Maddox’s Detroit Homecoming Should Boost Lions Defense

Maddox was born and raised in Detroit, going to Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Downtown Detroit. After leaving Michigan to go to Pittsburgh for college, Maddox became a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

 

Last season, Maddox won his first Super Bowl with the Eagles after appearing in 33% of defensive snaps and 43% of special teams snaps. He primarily lined up in the slot but has experience playing at safety and on the outside earlier in his career.

 

The Lions have Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, and DJ Reed on the outside and Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch at safety. With the addition of Maddox into the mix, that is a scary group. If Detroit can add another elite pass-rusher and some defensive line depth, the defense should take a significant step forward.

 

The Detroit Lions may have to make some tough roster decisions ahead. Does that eventually mean trading away talent?

 

It’s not easy having an abundance of talent in the NFL. In the salary cap era, the league has purposely tried to make it hard for one team to hoard all of the talent, even if that team managed to find those players all on their own through the draft. It’s only a matter of time before teams have to make tough decisions on talented players due to the rising costs of an increasingly improved roster.

 

The Detroit Lions are nearing that time in their development, and general manager Brad Holmes openly admitted this during the NFL Combine last month.

 

“There are a lot of decisions that we have to make,” Holmes said. “Because we’re at the point, we’re at the juncture with our roster right now that we have identified a lot of young core pieces that we want to keep around and unfortunately that’s the tough part is that you got to make decisions on other players contractually that you might not be able to keep that you want to keep. So it’s not more so due to you don’t want to have the players anymore but you just can’t have everybody.”

 

We’ve already seen the results of this cap-saving strategy with a modest free agency from the Lions. As of this publishing, the Lions only signed six external free agents, and only one was signed to a multi-year deal.

 

But that’s only the first stage. At some point, the Lions are going to have to let some talented players walk. Sometimes that will mean via free agency, but that could also mean trading away players to maximize the team’s return on a player they can’t afford to re-sign. We’ve seen some of the best teams in the NFL apply this strategy, whether it be the Kansas City Chiefs with players like Tyreek Hill and Joe Thuney, the 49ers with Deebo Samuel, or the Philadelphia Eagles with C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

 

In this week’s Midweek Mailbag, we discuss whether the Lions could be the next team in line to trade away some of their talented players in an effort to keep costs low and maximize their draft capital. Are the Lions positioned in a way where they need to do it? Which players could be on the block as soon as the trade deadline this year? And what kind of value are we talking about? Our discussion on that topic begins around the 29:40 mark of this week’s episode.

 

Other topics on this week’s show (in chronological order):

 

Our opinions on the Lions’ three rule proposals

Debating the arguments for and against extending Jameson Williams

Which prospects are worth trading up in the first round for?

Do the Lions need to draft a tall cornerback?

Can Ennis Rakestraw play on the outside?

Should the Lions draft a quarterback? Is Jalen Milroe a fit?

Predicting who starts opposite Aidan Hutchinson on the EDGE

What’s one thing you hope the coordinators keep from their predecessors? What’s one thing you hope they change?

Favorite/least favorite wins from 2025

You can listen to the entire show in the embedded player below or on your favorite podcast app. You can also catch video replays via our YouTube or Twitch page.

 

 

The Detroit Lions proposed a change to the NFL playoff seeding format that would prioritize regular season record over divisional ranking.

The proposed change aims to reward teams with better regular season performance and increase competitiveness in late-season games.

The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings shared the best record in the NFC when they met in a winner-take-all game in Week 18 of the regular season last year. The winner got the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and homefield advantage, the loser got a wild-card spot and road trips likely for the duration of the playoffs.

 

The Lions won the game and, like the Vikings, flamed out in their playoff opener, but now they want to change to playoff seeding format to reward teams for their regular season record.

 

The Lions submitted three rule- or bylaw-proposal changes for the NFL’s annual meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., later this month, including one that would “amend the current playoff seeding format to allow Wild Card teams to be seeded higher than Division Champions if the Wild Card team has a better regular season record.”

 

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) dives after intercepting a pass from Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.

Had the proposal been in effect last season, the Lions would have been the No. 1 seed in the NFC, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 2, the Vikings at No. 3 and the Washington Commanders at No. 4, while the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams and NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have gone on the road in the wild-card round.

 

The Vikings lost to the Rams in Glendale, Arizona after the game was moved because of wildfires, the Commanders beat the Bucs in Tampa, the Eagles won a wild-card home game against the Green Bay Packers, and the Lions lost in the divisional round to the Commanders.

 

If the Lions’ proposal is adopted, playoff seeding in future years would be determined by record only, with division champs having the tie-breaker advantage over wild-card teams with the same record. In the second round, the top seed would continue to play the lowest remaining seed, like the format is now.

 

In literature about club-proposed changes released Wednesday, the reason for the proposal was “competitive equity” to provide “excitement and competition in late season games” and to reward “the best-performing teams from the regular season.”

 

The Lions, who have regularly submitted bylaw and rules proposals since Brad Holmes took over as general manager and Dan Campbell as head coach in 2021, also submitted proposals to exclude players placed on injured reserve from the 90-man roster limit, unless they are designated for return, and to eliminate an automatic first down as a penalty for defensive holding and illegal contact.

 

Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles scores a touchdown with the Tush Push play against the New York Giants during their game at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 20, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J.

Last year, the Lions submitted four rule or bylaw proposals, including ones to push back the trade deadline and tweak the challenge rules.

 

The NFL adopted the Lions’ proposal to allow teams to get a third challenge if they won one of their first two challenges. Previously, teams were only allowed a third challenge if both of their first two challenges were successful.

 

Owners also modified the emergency quarterback rule following a Lions proposal in 2023.

 

Along with the Lions’ three proposals this year, NFL owners will consider playing rules proposals by the Green Bay Packers to ban the tush push short-yardage play popularized by the Eagles in recent years, and by the Eagles to align the postseason and regular season overtime rules by granting both teams at least one possession in overtime.

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers also submitted a proposal to allow teams to have one video or phone call with a prospective unrestricted free agent during the free agent negotiating period.

 

The NFL’s competition committee will submit additional proposals next week. The annual meeting is March 30-April 1.

 

Campbell, who previously said he was in favor of keeping the tush push a legal play, has said he is not interested in being on the competition committee.

 

 

 

A full breakdown of the finances for Detroit Lions free agency signings Roy Lopez and Grant Stuard.

 

It’s always important not to overreact to initial contract terms when it comes to NFL free agency. With most news breaking via NFL agents, they tend to present the contracts with misleading numbers to boost the perceived value.

 

Two more contract details are in for the Detroit Lions’ 2025 free agency class, and—again—some numbers were a bit fudged when originally reported.

 

Here’s the full breakdown of the deals for nose tackle Roy Lopez and linebacker Grant Stuard.

 

Base salary: $1.33M (fully guaranteed)

Signing bonus: $2M

Active roster bonus: $10,000 per game (up to $170,000)

Cap hit: $3.5 million

Additional: Lopez has $1.15 million in potential incentives. Per Wilson, those incentives are related to sacks, playing time, and playoff appearances

 

Lopez’s signing displays an increased investment in the backup nose tackle job. Last year, the Lions signed Kyle Peko to a one-year, $1.21 million deal to be the backup. Lopez is getting nearly three times that, and it’s fully guaranteed.

 

In my opinion, this signifies two things: Lopez is set to have a significant defensive role rotating with veteran nose tackle DJ Reader, and Detroit prioritized getting younger at the position. Peko will turn 32 before the season starts. Lopez will be 28.

 

Because all of Lopez’s contract is guaranteed for injury, expect him to be a roster lock—which is undoubtedly bad news for 2023 third-round pick Brodric Martin, who has yet to earn a defensive role through two seasons.

 

The initial report of Lopez’s deal was a one-year, $4.45 million contract, but that total value will only be reached if Lopez hits all of the aforementioned incentives.

 

Base salary: $1.15M (fully guaranteed)

Signing bonus: $350,000

Cap hit: $1.7 million

This is about as straightforward as a contract can get. Stuard’s contract is fully guaranteed, which gives him a good shot to make the roster because releasing him would not save Detroit any cap space. That said, $1.7 million is not too restrictive either. If Stuard doesn’t win a roster spot, it’s not exactly a huge dead cap hit.

 

If you view Stuard as a replacement for Jalen Reeves-Maybin, the Lions saved some money here. If the Lions had just kept Reeves-Maybin on the roster, he would have cost $4.25 million against the cap. With him now released, he does still carry $2.25 million in dead cap. However, even when you combine that with Stuard’s $1.7 million cap hit ($3.95), it’s saving the Lions $300,000 in cap space, and—like at nose tackle—the Lions are now significantly younger at the position (Stuard is 26, Reeves-Maybin is 30).

 

 

The Detroit Lions agreed to a one-year contract Friday with former New York Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah.

 

Yeboah caught nine passes for 111 yards in four seasons with the Jets and is best known for his blocking prowess.

 

Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets tight end Kenny Yeboah (88) celebrates with guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (75) during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

He made one start and appeared in nine games last season, and caught his first career touchdown from Aaron Rodgers in Week 11.

 

The Lions are thin at the tight end position, with just Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright on the roster. LaPorta set a then-rookie tight end record with 86 catches for 889 yards in 2023 and followed that up with 60 catches for 726 yards while playing through injuries last season. Wright is the Lions’ primary blocking tight end.

 

The Lions have signed three new players to their defense in free agency, cornerback D.J. Reed, linebacker Grant Stuard and defensive tackle Roy Lopez. On offense, they’ve added Yeboah and backup quarterback Kyle Allen.

 

Yeboah also played about 75% of the special teams snaps in the games he was active for the Jets the past three seasons.

 

Dave Birkett will sign copies of his book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline,” at 7 p.m., March 24, at the Birmingham Public Library. Order your copyhere.

 

 

 

 

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) talks to head coach Dan Campbell at a timeout against Los Angeles Rams

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) talks to head coach Dan Campbell at a timeout against Los Angeles Rams /

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has regularly praised Dan Campbell for being one of the best leaders he has ever been around.

 

Appearing on the “Glue Guys” podcast, Detroit’s franchise quarterback again shared his appreciation for the Lions being accepting of him, when he was dealt to the organization back in 2021.

 

The 30-year-old, in an interview that lasted over 60 minutes, revealed what he enjoyed most about Detroit’s popular head coach and what he has learned from being around a leader of Campbell’s caliber.

 

Goff expressed that on multiple occasions, Campbell will decide to play music during organized team activities to break up the mundane nature of meetings and reviewing things that will not take place until the fall.

 

“You’re in these meetings in April for stuff that’s going to happen in the fall. And in those meetings and even some in training camp that get even more mundane, he’ll just put on, just start playing his favorite music or music that makes him think of certain things,” said Goff.

“And this will go on for like ten minutes. He’ll just kind of be flipping through some songs. We’re all kind of sitting there, waiting for, all right, ‘What’s the message here? What’s he getting at?’ And he’ll kind of be like, all right, this song was playing when I was going to my senior football game in high school.

 

“And he’ll kind of sit there and envision that. And he’ll kind of go through, it’ll play for a minute. It’ll be AC/DC or Metallica, who he likes. And then he’ll play another song. …. And then he’ll play like modern stuff that like our guys like. He’ll be like, ‘I heard you guys like this song.’ He’ll play that song and guys will kind of start going, and we’ll do that for like 10 to 15 minutes. He’s done it a few times in the last few years.

And then it’s just over and it’s like, ‘All right guys, break it up.’ He’s got such a unique leadership ability to know when it’s time to like dig into us and let us know that we need to do this better. We need to do that better,” Goff commented further. “And then to know, hey, these guys need just like some fun and some relief from what’s going on.”

 

 

Goff indicated that the former NFL tight end just has a keen awareness of how players are feeling and what they need to thrive and survive a grueling NFL season.

 

“I call it emotional intelligence,” said Goff. “It’s the highest I’ve ever been around, that I’ve ever seen, or probably will ever see. Just to know when guys need what. He’ll have fun team meetings like that, but then at the same time, he holds guys extremely accountable and is really, really, really smart in the football sense and can handle all of it. It’s really it’s really special.”

 

Detroit’s starting signal-caller noted he has also learned from Campbell how to deal with a variety of different people. Being around such a solid leader has taught him so much about leadership, which is paramount for a quarterback.

 

Goff expressed, “I think from a leadership standpoint, I’ve learned so much from Dan, as far as knowing how to approach different people and meeting everyone where they’re at, type of thing.”

 

 

•

 

Joseph is in line for an extension that could make him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, and the fourth-year Detroit Lions defensive back learned Wednesday he has another nearly seven-figure payout coming his way from the NFL’s Performance Based Pay system.

 

Joseph earned the sixth-highest PBP distribution among all NFL players, a payout of $996,253 for his play last season when he led the NFL with nine interceptions.

 

Under the NFL’s PBP guidelines, players who appear in at least one game receive a bonus distribution based on a formula that takes into account playing time and salary.

 

A third-round pick out of Illinois in 2021, Joseph played 99% of the Lions’ defensive snaps last season and earned a base salary of $1.14 million. He finished with career-highs of nine interceptions and 83 tackles, was selected first-team All-Pro and is eligible for a contract extension for the first time this spring.

 

Lions general manager Brad Holmes has said he’s in the early stages of planning for new deals with Joseph and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. The team was expected to meet with the agents for both players during the NFL combine last month.

 

Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) takes the field during introduction before kickoff against Green Bay Packers during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.

Joseph could surpass Antoine Winfield as the NFL’s highest-paid safety on his next contract, while Hutchinson could become the NFL’s highest-paid pass rusher. Winfield signed a four-year, $84.1 million extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last spring coming off his first All-Pro season. Myles Garrett, who got a new deal from the Cleveland Browns this week, is the league’s highest paid defensive end at $40 million per season.

 

“He’s one that has proven that he’s a Detroit Lion, he fits our culture,” Holmes said of Joseph in January. “It’s hard to find ballhawk guys that will tackle like how he does, and I think that’s what makes him unique. So again, we haven’t had any intense dialogue about that yet, but obviously we want to keep the good players here.”

 

New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood led all NFL players in PBP pay this year with a distribution of $1.09 million.

 

 

 

Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Roy Lopez (98) against the Washington Commanders at State Farm Stadium.

Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Roy Lopez (98) against the Washington Commanders at State Farm Stadium.

 

The Arizona Cardinals are losing defensive lineman Roy Lopez to the Detroit Lions, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

 

“Former #Cardinals nose tackle Roy Lopez is signing a one-year, $4.65 million deal with the #Lions, per source.”

 

Lopez – who will turn 28 later this year – played 30 games for the Cardinals over the last two seasons, starting in 16 last season at nose tackle. He started 29 games for the Houston Texans in the previous two years before joining Arizona in 2023.

 

Lopez accrued 28 total tackles, three passes defensed, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered for Arizona in 2024.

 

Lopez was a locker room favorite and typically earned high praise from Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.

 

“Consistency, I think we’re all striving for it, but I think Roy is doing an excellent job for us and he’s really developed some of his pass rush,” Gannon said during the regular season.

 

“Especially (because) it’s hard to rush when you’re playing run first then you get to convert to rush. I think he’s doing a good job with that.”

 

Lopez now joins a Lions team looking to get over the postseason hump and into their first Super Bowl. Under head coach Dan Campbell, many believe the Cardinals are on a similar trajectory Detroit was just a few seasons ago.

 

Lopez’s market value on Spotrac was $3.5 million per season, so it looks like he did well in terms of financials.

 

Arizona has yet to sign an outside defensive lineman, though the Cardinals did ink premier pass rusher Josh Sweat to a massive contract to begin free agency.

 

Naquon Jones is still a free agent while Khyiris Tonga signed with the New England Patriots previously.

 

Though Lopez didn’t leave a massive impact on the field, the locker room will be missing a favorite from last season.

 

The 2025 NFL Combine is underway and the Detroit Lions are in draft mode, but they’re also in free agency mode as well. Lions GM Brad Holmes took to the podium in Indy and let out a little bit of information on a free agent they’re looking at when talking about the Lions defensive line.

 

“I was looking at our game at Arizona in Week 3. We’re looking at a free agent.”

 

We wondered who that could be and now we know. The Lions are signing former Cardinals nose tackle Roy Lopez to a one-year deal

 

The former sixth-round pick out of Arizona has been in the league since the 2021 season and he has been a starter the entire time. He started out with the Houston Texans and then signed with the Cardinals in 2023. He played two seasons there and started every game he played.

 

Lopez specializes in run stuffing and he is instantly going to be a big part of the Lions’ interior defensive line. At 27 years old, he gives the Lions a shot at a long-term future at the position with DJ Reader being 31 years old when the 2025 season starts and also being in the last year of his deal.

 

Lopez does offer some pass rush ability, he had 18 pressures and a sack in 2024, but the reality is that you’re really looking for Lopez to be a space eater much like Reader, but with the ability to be a little more athletic. At 6-foot-2 and 318 pounds, Lopez certainly has the size.

 

This signing isn’t likely to be one that gets Lions fans super excited, but it should because it helps shore up the interior and brings some strength to the line. Honselty, don’t be surprised if this guy starts Week 1. Also, do yourself a favor and don’t pay attention to the PFF grades on this one. They are historically really hard on all nose tackles and nobody understands why.