Detroit Lions Offseason Thread 2023

[Motown Bombers]

From 2011 through 2019 the Lions played at least one Monday Night game with a few of those seasons having multiple primetime games. They had none in 2020 but then had a Monday Night game in 2021 and were flexed into a Sunday Night game last year which was one of the highest rated in years. It's not really a controversial take to think the Lions, with the highest expectations we may have seen in decades, will play in multiple primetime games this year. They've done it in the recent past. 

[Hongbit]

We really get in to some meaningless discussions during the deep days of the off-season.   

[Motown Bombers]

Well, I can start talking about how Goff is better than Stafford. 

[Hongbit]

13 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Well, I can start talking about how Goff is better than Stafford. 

We’ll need that for those slow days in May and June after the draft and before training camp 

[MichiganCardinal]

I’m just shocked we are 81 pages in and no one has found a reason to fire Campbell yet. Blowing previous offseason threads out of the water.

[Motown Bombers]

Just now, MichiganCardinal said:

I’m just shocked we are 81 pages in and no one has found a reason to fire Campbell yet. Blowing previous offseason threads out of the water.

That happens in the first game when the Lions call runs on 1st and 2nd down for no gain. 

[holygoat]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:33 PM, Motown Bombers said:

I would rather play in Germany than Arrowhead. 

I'd rather the Lions not have to travel half-way around the world to play a game.

[NYLion]

23 hours ago, buddha said:

i dont think the ordinary fans in the rest of the country see the lions like we do.  

we have turkey day and maybe we get a monday night game this year.  they have some marquee national teams on the schedule (bears, packers, chiefs, broncos, cowboys).

i can see them getting a monday night game against dallas or kc maybe.

Not anymore. The Lions have become a national phenomenon seemingly overnight starting with Dan Campbell's persona then Hard Knocks then tearing it up down the stretch culminating with knocking Aaron Rodgers out of the playoffs in prime time then this offseason when they made several splash signings. I think the Lions have become must see TV from a national standpoint and will be a ratings booster as shocking as that sounds. I'd be surprised if they don't get at least two Monday Night games.

Edited April 7, 2023 by NYLion

[Motown Bombers]

I think the Lions cemented their status with that Sunday Night win in Green Bay. It felt like a changing of the guard in the NFC North. Everybody knew Minnesota was a fraud and they proved it when they shit the bed in the playoffs. 

[Jason_R]

I could see Seattle at Detroit as a decent choice for MNF. It’s not uncommon for an NFC North tilt to end up on MNF either, so maybe Detroit vs. GB or Chicago. 

Detroit could ride the coattails of KC and/or Dallas onto SNF. 

Maybe against the Chargers on TNF. 

I’ll guess they get four prime time games on the original schedule (not including Thanksgiving) and maybe flex into one more, especially if there are playoff implications late in the season. 

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Motown Bombers]

So much for that. 

 

[RandyMarsh]

Even though I knew it was kind of a long shot that's a bit of a kick in the balls, would've loved to have him here. 

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Hongbit]

13 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

As I said a few weeks back, it made no sense for the titans not to extend him.  

[Motown Bombers]

4 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

As I said a few weeks back, it made no sense for the titans not to extend him.  

I don't know, the Titans look like they are staring down a rebuild. DT tend to age better than other positions so he will likely still be highly productive at the end of the contract when the Titans are coming out of a rebuild but he also could have been a trade chip to get a QB. 

[Hongbit]

27 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

I don't know, the Titans look like they are staring down a rebuild. DT tend to age better than other positions so he will likely still be highly productive at the end of the contract when the Titans are coming out of a rebuild but he also could have been a trade chip to get a QB. 

He’s a great foundation piece at a valuable position.  They have a great opportunity next year to go after a QB in what appears to be a much stronger and deeper QB draft.    I think more teams should be thinking this way rather than fawning over this very average group of QB’s.  
 

[RandyMarsh]

3 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

He’s a great foundation piece at a valuable position.  They have a great opportunity next year to go after a QB in what appears to be a much stronger and deeper QB draft.    I think more teams should be thinking this way rather than fawning over this very average group of QB’s.  
 

Agreed. It's not going to happen cause teams just don't operate like this but if I were the Texans I would think long and hard about either trading back and collecting more assets or taking Will Anderson(or whomever they have at the top of their board) at 2 and just wait till next year to get your QB.

Yeah I know that comes with a risk cause you may not be picking again in the top 5 next year but in all likelihood Houston isn't going to be good next year and even if they aren't dreadful and finish with say the 7-9th pick they have a ton of future draft capital including multiple firsts next year so they could always trade up if need be. 

[RedRamage]

 

[MichiganCardinal]

This is just great. I’ve really been losing a lot of sleep over the relationship between the dude who made $112MM in contract salary alone across his career but severs relationships over $2MM he didn’t earn and the corporate ownership team that literally couldn’t gift him the money even if they wanted to. It’s really nice to see that now that the Lions are getting good and going to be in the spotlight the former declares that the relationship is magically getting better. I’m sure that doesn’t have to do with wanting to be in the spotlight for his businesses or anything.

/s

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Hongbit]

8 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

This is just great. I’ve really been losing a lot of sleep over the relationship between the dude who made $112MM in contract salary alone across his career but severs relationships over $2MM he didn’t earn and the corporate ownership team that literally couldn’t gift him the money even if they wanted to. It’s really nice to see that now that the Lions are getting good and going to be in the spotlight the former declares that the relationship is magically getting better. I’m sure that doesn’t have to do with wanting to be in the spotlight for his businesses or anything.

/s

In fairness, they could’ve gifted him the money back in the day but instead chose to ask for it back.  There was no problem had they done that as other teams had done. That’s why the situation exists in the first place. He did technically retire due to injuries even if he probably could have still played.  

They still can pay him now but need to sign him up to some bs promotional contract where they pay him large sums of money for not a lot of work.   He seemed to be against this a few years back thinking that they should just pay him without him doing anything.   That was his misunderstanding of the rules and that option doesn’t exist to just pay him. It seems like now he’s figured out they can use a workaround to make him whole.   

[MichiganCardinal]

1 minute ago, Hongbit said:

In fairness, they could’ve gifted him the money back in the day but instead chose to ask for it back.  There was no problem had they done that as other teams had done. That’s why the situation exists in the first place. He did technically retire due to injuries even if he probably could have still played.  

They still can pay him now but need to sign him up to some bs promotional contract where they pay him large sums of money for not a lot of work.   He seemed to be against this a few years back thinking that they should just pay him without him doing anything.   That was his misunderstanding of the rules and that option doesn’t exist to just pay him. It seems like now he’s figured out they can use a workaround to make him whole.   

I think a lot of Johnson's gripes are sour grapes at the trajectory of his career, and they're blamed on the money because that's easier. I understand being upset that you're one of the greatest of all time at your position and never even won a playoff game. If he wanted to be upset with the Ford family, Millen, Mayhew, etc. for that, completely understood... But he's the one who signed a seven-year deal in 2012 and then bailed on it three years in, and he's the one acting like a child while Sheila tries to repair relationships ruined by her parents... I've always thought that if the Lions got good he would be back to be in the camera for the moment, so it doesn't surprise me that he's laying the foundation.

[Motor City Sonics]

Teddy Bridgewater might be coming? 

 

They just signed Sudfeld..............Interesting.   

[Motown Bombers]

I read again what the Lions did to Charles Rogers and it makes me even madder at Calvin Johnson. The Lions filed a grievance with Rogers for violating his contract for being suspended for drugs, drugs in which the Lions team doctors gave him. They took him to court and won a $6.1 million judgement. Johnson, meanwhile, had $113 million in career earnings, was the highest paid receiver ever at the time, and quit in the middle of the contract and thinks he's entitled to money he didn't earn. He can get lost.