Detroit Lions Offseason Thread 2023

[RandyMarsh]

If we save their butts and agree to do another season Hard Knocks then between that and allowing them to play a game at Ford Field the NFL owes us big time. 

[MichiganCardinal]

The Jets seem like the obvious answer of teams that can be forced, and I don't give a flying you-know-what that the prima donna Rodgers doesn't want to.

I'm sure it's a much easier process for everyone involved though when you find a willing team. I'm not sure what a team is allowed to say is "off limits" from the cameras (like the Cardinals coach getting arrested last year) and what NFL Films is allowed to say too bad we want to film that anyway. But I'm sure that negotiation/exchange is much easier and creates a much better progress when everyone is okay with everyone else being there in the first place.

[RedRamage]

57 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

 

YES PLEASE!!

I loved it last year.  Would love to see it again.

[MichiganCardinal]

2 minutes ago, RedRamage said:

YES PLEASE!!

I loved it last year.  Would love to see it again.

I would enjoy it immensely from a fan perspective but if Campbell/Holmes/Wood/Hamp don't think it's in the team's best interest (which I could definitely see an argument for), then I totally agree with declining.

For instance, I'm sure a storyline would be Jamo's suspension/first 23 games of his career and the gambling suspensions generally. It's probably fair to say we have more than enough Carlos Monarrez's as it is.

[jz68]

I have no idea if being on Hard Knocks is or isn't a distraction for the team but if the coaches don't think it's a problem, I'd love to see it.

Lions should negotiate.  Rescind Jamo's suspension and we'll do it.   

[SkyBlue]

Lions said no thanks.

[1984Echoes]

I wouldn't have minded the Lions saying yes, with:

Dan Campbell opening up this year's Hard Knocks with the following statement: "Who wants to go to the Super Bowl? Because if you want to go there, and we all do... then this is what we are going to need to do...".

[MichiganCardinal]

The NFL needs to re-write the months of June and July for the next season of their soap opera. The lull between schedule release and training camp isn't cutting it for me. OTAs ain't enough, give me something juicy.

Edited June 18, 2023 by MichiganCardinal

[Mr.TaterSalad]

On 6/15/2023 at 10:40 AM, RandyMarsh said:

If we save their butts and agree to do another season Hard Knocks then between that and allowing them to play a game at Ford Field the NFL owes us big time. 

Straight up, I'd only agree to do it if the Jamo suspension was dropped. That's my asking price. Reinstate Williams and we'll do Hard Knocks. The gambling rule is bull**** anyways since it was a league and union HR policy that was clearly never properly communicated with the players.

Edited June 18, 2023 by Mr.TaterSalad

[buddha]

6 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Straight up, I'd only agree to do it if the Jamo suspension was dropped. That's my asking price. Reinstate Williams and we'll do Hard Knocks. The gambling rule is bull**** anyways since it was a league and union HR policy that was clearly never properly communicated with the players.

lol.  like the league would do that.

tater starting sunday with the STRONG hot take!

[Mr.TaterSalad]

4 minutes ago, buddha said:

lol.  like the league would do that.

tater starting sunday with the STRONG hot take!

If the league had been found to properly and effectively communicate its gambling policies with all its players I'd agree with the suspension. But when it comes out through player surveys that most of these guys didn't know the rules the league had imposed for gambling, it makes the suspension look worse.

[MichiganCardinal]

23 minutes ago, buddha said:

lol.  like the league would do that.

tater starting sunday with the STRONG hot take!

I wouldn’t put it past the league to do so something like this. Not that they’d ever publicly announce some agreement, but the only thing the NFL cares more about than image is money.

If Hard Knocks covering the Lions would make them substantially more than their next best option, and the Lions quietly said we would only do it if they’d re-evaluate the suspension, I could totally see them announcing that upon a review of the totality of the circumstances, he’s only suspended two games.

I don’t think they care that much about the Lions doing Hard Knocks though.

[buddha]

8 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I wouldn’t put it past the league to do so something like this. Not that they’d ever publicly announce some agreement, but the only thing the NFL cares more about than image is money.

If Hard Knocks covering the Lions would make them substantially more than their next best option, and the Lions quietly said we would only do it if they’d re-evaluate the suspension, I could totally see them announcing that upon a review of the totality of the circumstances, he’s only suspended two games.

I don’t think they care that much about the Lions doing Hard Knocks though.

how would hard knocks covering the lions make the league more money?

1) the contract with hbo is what it is, any supposed ratinga boost for the lions would give the league nothing.  and that's assuming a second season with one of the leagues least popular and the worst franchise in its history would somehow lead to more viewers.

2) the jets with aaron rogers or the bears (one of the leagues most popular teams) are available.

your last sentence is correct.  they dont care about the lions doing hard knocks.

[buddha]

8 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

If the league had been found to properly and effectively communicate its gambling policies with all its players I'd agree with the suspension. But when it comes out through player surveys that most of these guys didn't know the rules the league had imposed for gambling, it makes the suspension look worse.

who "found" the league did not properly communicate the gambling policies?

oh!  the players who got caught?  the agents of those players?  the union?  lol.  come on tater.

[Motor City Sonics]

It'll be the Jets.  And Aaron will bitch about not wanting attention while doing 500 things that draw attention to him.     

[MichiganCardinal]

 

[RedRamage]

On 6/18/2023 at 12:36 PM, MichiganCardinal said:

I wouldn’t put it past the league to do so something like this. Not that they’d ever publicly announce some agreement, but the only thing the NFL cares more about than image is money.

If Hard Knocks covering the Lions would make them substantially more than their next best option, and the Lions quietly said we would only do it if they’d re-evaluate the suspension, I could totally see them announcing that upon a review of the totality of the circumstances, he’s only suspended two games.

I don’t think they care that much about the Lions doing Hard Knocks though.

I wouldn't be shocked if something like this happens, but I would seriously dislike it if it did. I mean I'd be thrilled with Jamo only getting 2-games, but I'd seriously be upset if it came because the Lions agreed to do Hard Knocks. That's straight up tampering with the game there. That's not quite on the level of the refs being on Jerry's Party Boat, but it's dang close.

The rumor is that the Lions got the draft because they agreed to Hard Knocks last year. That I have no problem with. That's off the field stuff. That doesn't effect on field rules or players or whatever. But you don't trade favors for reduced suspensions.

[holygoat]

9 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

 

If the alternate helmet is just a 70's era Bubbles logo, I'm gonna be disappointed.

[SkyBlue]

 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by SkyBlue

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Pride of Detroit: With new gambling policies, the NFL is admitting they screwed Jameson Williams

I agree with what Jeremy Reisman wrote in the article and believe the NFL should do something about Williams suspension, but is too cowardly to ever admit wrong doing here. I think the Lions should do something as an organization, in protest, to fight the Williams suspension. It's clear from a survey of the players that almost none of them were made aware of the NFL's new gambling rules and procedures about where they can and can't bet.

[MichiganCardinal]

Meh. They could have done better.

[RedRamage]

3 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

Meh. They could have done better.

I like it... but then I've always kinda liked that old school logo.

[MichiganCardinal]

17 minutes ago, RedRamage said:

I like it... but then I've always kinda liked that old school logo.

I don’t dislike it, I just would really like them reinvent those black alternates from the early 2000s. I think black chrome with a honolulu blue logo outlined would have looked sick

[Jimbo]

This might sound like a stupid question.

 

With the CAP space this year, can the Lions do anything to help with future years CAP space.  We are going to start having to sign players like St. Brown in the future and with good drafting years comes with CAP issues down the road.  I guess if they keep on drafting good, you just let players go except for the few pro bowlers.  If we don't use a certain amount of CAP space this year, can that transfer to the following years?  Or can we sign someone like Jonah Jackson or Goff (even though they are still under contract) to an extension and make it heavy this year?  Basically I am just curious if the CAP space this year can benefit future years?

 

Maybe they end up using this CAP space and go for it this year and none of that matters.

[RedRamage]

33 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

This might sound like a stupid question.

 

With the CAP space this year, can the Lions do anything to help with future years CAP space.  We are going to start having to sign players like St. Brown in the future and with good drafting years comes with CAP issues down the road.  I guess if they keep on drafting good, you just let players go except for the few pro bowlers.  If we don't use a certain amount of CAP space this year, can that transfer to the following years?  Or can we sign someone like Jonah Jackson or Goff (even though they are still under contract) to an extension and make it heavy this year?  Basically I am just curious if the CAP space this year can benefit future years?

 

Maybe they end up using this CAP space and go for it this year and none of that matters.

You can't carry it forward... like if you're under the cap by $10M this year, you can't have an extra $10M next year. What you could do, I suppose, it restructure a current players deal. For example: Anzalone is due (in base salary):
2023: $1.2M
2024: $6M
2025: $6M
I suppose in theory they could restructure it so his base salary is (again, using $10M in cap space as an example):
2023: $11.2M
2024: $1M
2025: $1M

This would be kinda like moving $5M from this season to each of the next two, but there's a danger here. If Anzalone plays well in 2023 and you want him back for '24 and '25... he might hold out for more money saying that $1M is too little to play for. The team would argue that he's really getting $6M for '24, but that he just got paid upfront, but a selfish player might still say he's worth more and you better pay him... What's he got to lose? You already paid him $11M last year so he's sitting pretty and if he's really improved his play some team will pay him if the Lions get fed up and cut him (seeing as his cap hit would be so low).

For the record, I don't think Anzalone would do that if he was in this situation, but he potentially could do it, which the team needs to take into consideration if they wanted to do something like this. It might be smarter to do this over a number of players... like move $1M from 2024 to 2023 for 10 different players.