2025 Lions offseason

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, NYLion said:

My biggest issue with Ben isn't that he went to the Bears, can't fault a man for doing what's best for him and his family. It's that he jumped to the Bears immediately after a devastating team loss and, even worse, already had his coaching staff assembled which leads me to believe that he wasn't focused on the task at hand with the Lions. You see Glenn with the Jets and he's just assembling his staff, I can respect that more.

Regardless, I wish no ill will on the man. He did a really good job here but I just don't like the way it went down and the timing of it. Just my opinion

Bears tampering? We should get ALL their draft choices for the next two seasons.....😅😅😅

[RedRamage]

I'm honestly surprised with both the destinations for Johnson and Glenn. They obviously have much more knowledge than I but I don't see either of those as good stable places.

Now you can 100% say the same thing about the Lions before Campbell came here so maybe these will be the right people to turn both of those franchises around. I'll be rooting for Glenn. I can't say the same thing about Johnson... not because I don't like him, but that I just can't root for the Bears.

 

[CMRivdogs]

I hope Glenn has enough cajones to tell the owner's son and anyone else to SFU. Not a big Jets fan, but wish him well.

Since they both had video interviews during the off week, I don't see those as a detraction leading up to the game against DC. I'm sure their agents did the majority of the work on negations and since it was a good possibility that they would be moving on somewhere, I'm sure they had already had good ideas well before the process of who they would like to have on staffs'. I don't think it was much of a distraction. After all a good manager in any industry has to be able to multi-task. 

[lordstanley]

Johnson signing so quickly after the loss is bad optics, but that may be all it is. It's like if a hitter gets off to a slow start after signing a big contract, fans will jump on him as coasting compared to when he was gunning for a new contract. Is there a psychological letdown after signing a new contract? Ask the player and he will deny it and probably genuinely believe there wasn't a letdown, but maybe it's human nature to have one. Similarly, I'm sure Ben genuinely believes that he wasn't distracted last week and that it didn't impact his game planning at all. But what human could be 100% laser focused if you know you're days away from landing a head coaching position you've been dreaming of and working towards for years, one that comes with a $13mm salary. But blame that on the NFL and it's coaching windows, not Ben.

Besides, the more I think of It, Ben's game plan and play calls weren't the problem on Saturday. The Lions moved the ball freely and picked up tons of yardage. Virtually all drives ended either in a Lions TD or a turnover. Of the turnovers, the pick-6 and the interception into the end zone near the end of the 1st half weren't at all Ben's fault, and the interception near the end zone in the game's final minute wasn't Ben's fault and in any event was a garbage time irrelevancy by then. So that leaves two questionable play calls. I'm coming around to the view that the 3rd and 1 play call up 7-3 wasn't horrible, although I didn't like it at the time and still don't love it. The Lions were still 17 yards from the end zone. Yeah, a run on 3rd down probably would have got you a couple of yards for the 1st down, leaving you 15 yards away from the TD. But if the goal is a TD on the drive, and you think an empty set helps in freeing up St. Brown for a quick pass that will get you inside the 10 and that he might even break for a touchdown, then I can see trying that. Expected downside would be an incompletion that sets up a makeable 4th and 1, or at worse a sack that forces a FG. A strip sack isn't caused by a bad play call, it's caused by a Glasgow missed block AND a ASB stumble AND Goff not holding on to the ball better.  That leaves the Jameson pass for an interception, a play call I can't defend and that snuffed out much of the remaining hope, but the game at 38-28 was practically lost by then anyways. Even a TD on that drive by the Lions would have been for naught unless the defense made a stop on the Commanders' next possession, which they showed no signs of doing.

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, RedRamage said:

I'm honestly surprised with both the destinations for Johnson and Glenn. They obviously have much more knowledge than I but I don't see either of those as good stable places.

Now you can 100% say the same thing about the Lions before Campbell came here so maybe these will be the right people to turn both of those franchises around. I'll be rooting for Glenn. I can't say the same thing about Johnson... not because I don't like him, but that I just can't root for the Bears.

 

This. And I think Glenn will have more success. The Jets already had a decent defense and getting it to be a top 5 defense will win them a lot of games. But they have to retire Rodgers, not only is he ineffective but he's also a huge distraction. So we'll see who he gets to run his offense and who he gets at QB. Hopefully, he's already had discussions about replacing Rodgers. Having him on the team would handicap him from the start. How about a Darnold reunion to NY? 😅

[Hongbit]

2 hours ago, RedRamage said:

I'm honestly surprised with both the destinations for Johnson and Glenn. They obviously have much more knowledge than I but I don't see either of those as good stable places.

Now you can 100% say the same thing about the Lions before Campbell came here so maybe these will be the right people to turn both of those franchises around. I'll be rooting for Glenn. I can't say the same thing about Johnson... not because I don't like him, but that I just can't root for the Bears.

 

Since all of the open jobs have train wreck owners, you have to eliminate that factor from the decision.   I know that’s a big one to ignore but that’s how it is this cycle.     It’s not surprising to me that Ben chose the one with the best QB and AG chose the one with a few super talented young defensive players. 

[Motor City Sonics]

12 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

This. And I think Glenn will have more success. The Jets already had a decent defense and getting it to be a top 5 defense will win them a lot of games. But they have to retire Rodgers, not only is he ineffective but he's also a huge distraction. So we'll see who he gets to run his offense and who he gets at QB. Hopefully, he's already had discussions about replacing Rodgers. Having him on the team would handicap him from the start. How about a Darnold reunion to NY? 😅

I can see Kirk Cousins landing here.     He'd be better than Rodgers because he wouldn't try to run the whole team. 

The only chance Glenn has of success there is kicking Rodgers out the door on Day 1. 

[Sports_Freak]

2 hours ago, lordstanley said:

Johnson signing so quickly after the loss is bad optics, but that may be all it is. It's like if a hitter gets off to a slow start after signing a big contract, fans will jump on him as coasting compared to when he was gunning for a new contract. Is there a psychological letdown after signing a new contract? Ask the player and he will deny it and probably genuinely believe there wasn't a letdown, but maybe it's human nature to have one. Similarly, I'm sure Ben genuinely believes that he wasn't distracted last week and that it didn't impact his game planning at all. But what human could be 100% laser focused if you know you're days away from landing a head coaching position you've been dreaming of and working towards for years, one that comes with a $13mm salary. But blame that on the NFL and it's coaching windows, not Ben.

Besides, the more I think of It, Ben's game plan and play calls weren't the problem on Saturday. The Lions moved the ball freely and picked up tons of yardage. Virtually all drives ended either in a Lions TD or a turnover. Of the turnovers, the pick-6 and the interception into the end zone near the end of the 1st half weren't at all Ben's fault, and the interception near the end zone in the game's final minute wasn't Ben's fault and in any event was a garbage time irrelevancy by then. So that leaves two questionable play calls. I'm coming around to the view that the 3rd and 1 play call up 7-3 wasn't horrible, although I didn't like it at the time and still don't love it. The Lions were still 17 yards from the end zone. Yeah, a run on 3rd down probably would have got you a couple of yards for the 1st down, leaving you 15 yards away from the TD. But if the goal is a TD on the drive, and you think an empty set helps in freeing up St. Brown for a quick pass that will get you inside the 10 and that he might even break for a touchdown, then I can see trying that. Expected downside would be an incompletion that sets up a makeable 4th and 1, or at worse a sack that forces a FG. A strip sack isn't caused by a bad play call, it's caused by a Glasgow missed block AND a ASB stumble AND Goff not holding on to the ball better.  That leaves the Jameson pass for an interception, a play call I can't defend and that snuffed out much of the remaining hope, but the game at 38-28 was practically lost by then anyways. Even a TD on that drive by the Lions would have been for naught unless the defense made a stop on the Commanders' next possession, which they showed no signs of doing.

Ummmm...if the Lions had a healthy defense or if they couldn't run the ball, I would agree. But when they were up 7-3 and had the ball on the Washington 17 yard line? It should have been a no-brainer to run the ball. Use the clock and keep our defense on the bench. Going up 14-3 may have put more pressure on Washington. And there really is no excuse for trying to be cute and have Jaymo throw a pass. He doesn't strike me as a player who uses good judgement. In a perfect world, he would have either tried to run or thrown the ball way out of bounds. There were a few other questionable offensive calls but when players aren't executing, it's hard to blame the play calling. And I still say they should have exploited the weak Washington run defense, use the clock and scored 50 points...lol

[MichiganCardinal]

I’m surprised Johnson went to Chicago after seemingly having been picky the last two cycles. The Bears are not a significantly better organization or situation than Carolina.

I’m not surprised Glenn went to the Jets. With only 32 jobs, he’s wanted one for a few years and he’s not as hot a commodity as Johnson. I am surprised the Jets are going back to back motivational DCs. But it’s not like Saleh was the problem there anyway.

[Sports_Freak]

Just now, MichiganCardinal said:

I’m surprised Johnson went to Chicago after seemingly having been picky the last two cycles. The Bears are not a significantly better organization or situation than Carolina.

I’m not surprised Glenn went to the Jets. With only 32 jobs, he’s wanted one for a few years and he’s not as hot a commodity as Johnson. I am surprised the Jets are going back to back motivational DCs. But it’s not like Saleh was the problem there anyway.

I thought Glenn was going the New Orleans for sure. I've been hearing about Johnson going to Chicago ever since they fired their coach mid-season. 

[ewsieg]

Teams that want someone, sign them as soon as they can.  That shows teams really wanted Johnson and Glenn.  Good for them.  I don't think they are dream scenarios for either, but each fit though.  Johnson having Williams is a huge plus for him to play with.  The Jets need someone that may not be flashy, but can command the respect of a team.  They got him.  Ultimately both have to hope ownership doesn't sink them.  Wish the best for them, with the best being going as far as possible until they meet the Lions in the playoffs and go home.

[lordstanley]

4 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

Ummmm...if the Lions had a healthy defense or if they couldn't run the ball, I would agree. But when they were up 7-3 and had the ball on the Washington 17 yard line? It should have been a no-brainer to run the ball. Use the clock and keep our defense on the bench. Going up 14-3 may have put more pressure on Washington. And there really is no excuse for trying to be cute and have Jaymo throw a pass. He doesn't strike me as a player who uses good judgement. In a perfect world, he would have either tried to run or thrown the ball way out of bounds. There were a few other questionable offensive calls but when players aren't executing, it's hard to blame the play calling. And I still say they should have exploited the weak Washington run defense, use the clock and scored 50 points...lol

I'm just really bummed we don't get another game out of them this weekend. The offense was a joy to watch all season. Even on Saturday they gave us breathtaking plays like the LaPorta catch and the Jamo end around. Goff who earlier in the season was tossing perfect games completion-wise ignores a wide open LaPorta for a pick 6 and then underthrows the ball into the end zone to end the half. Where does that come from??  I said at the beginning of the game a reasonable objective would be 42 points - three first half TDs and three second half TDs. Even with all the mistakes they were well on that pace midway through the 3rd period, but who knew even that might not be enough. It just doesn't seem right that they're one and done. A loss to Philadelphia this weekend would have been tough to take, being so close to the Super Bowl, but at least then I would have felt they lost to a team that as of late January 2025 had a better active roster. It stings when you shoot yourself in the foot and lose to a team you feel you're better than. Being pushed so hard for the #1 seed and to then bow out immediately reminds me of the Tigers of 1987 finally winning out after the epic pennant race only to be eliminated by the Twins before we knew it.

Edited 1 hour ago by lordstanley

[holygoat]

8 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

Is it one this year and one next year?

I believe it's 2026 and 2027.