News Lions Team Notes

[Detroit Lions]

Lions News: Ex-Lions coach battling cancer to attend Super Bowl with Patriots

Detroit Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams talks to defensive end Josh Paschal during the first half against Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Detroit Lions coach Terrell Williams will join the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl after stepping away early this fall to be treated for prostate cancer.

In 2024, Williams spent about a year as defensive running game coordinator and defensive line coach before he was hired by the Patriots as defensive coordinator in January 2025. Sadly, head coach Mike Vrabel announced in September that Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer and would be stepping away.

“I unfortunately have to tell you that Terrell Williams was determined to have prostate cancer, and is in the process of treatment and meeting with specialists and figuring out the best plan of attack to be able to attack this and heal it and fix it and allow him to get back to better healthy,” Vrabel said at the time. “You know how much Terrell means to me personally and to the people on this football team. So, again, we want to send our regards and publicly let everybody know that’s what he’s dealing with.”

Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr took over calling plays for New England in his absence. Vrabel announced Thursday that since leaving about five months ago, Williams is “doing well” and will be making the trip to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX as the Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks.

Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs called Williams a “road warrior” and said his attendance means a lot to the team.

Stefon Diggs called DC Terrell Williams “another road warrior,” saying how much it means to the team for him to be with them during Super Bowl Week as he continues to battle his way back from prostate cancer:

“…This team has been through a lot. A lot of guys have had family… pic.twitter.com/D6F2tN1gE2

— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) January 29, 2026

Though he spent just one season coaching the Lions, he made a big impact on many players. Head coach Dan Campbell called him a “highly intelligent” coach, who understands his players’ personalities.

“Like, to watch him—he treated every player different, man. Some guys he prodded, some guys he loved up, some guys he would just simply walk and whisper in their ear and then watch ‘em go, like, he’s got a knack about understanding how to make people go, and not everybody’s the same, so, unbelievable dude, unbelievable human being, great teacher,” Campbell said of Williams back during last year’s owners meetings.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• Once hoping to play in it himself, Lions offensive assistant Marques Tuiasosopo is down in Alabama coaching the Senior Bowl American Team quarterbacks.

Lions assistant Marques Tuiasosopo was supposed to play in the ⁦@seniorbowl⁩ a quarter century ago. He got hurt and couldn’t go. Now he’s there as a coach, making sure others make the most of their opportunity. https://t.co/474b4pzi0I via @freep

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) January 29, 2026

• More from the Detroit Free Press—Dave has spent some time speaking with Lions draft prospects at the Senior Bowl.

Video: Nadame Tucker quietly had a huge season for Western Michigan this year. Now, one of the NCAA’s most productive pass rushers is opening eyes at the Senior Bowl https://t.co/XDrgacPJOJ

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) January 29, 2026

• Ahmed Hassanein is getting in some intense looking offseason workouts.

Detroit Lions EDGE Ahmed Hassanein is putting in WORK this off-season

Looks like he has a future in the UFC too #OnePride pic.twitter.com/487kA5OvIL

— Crunch Time Sports (@officialctpod) January 28, 2026

• A belated happy birthday to the GOAT.

Happy birthday, @DanMillerFox2!

Here are some of his best calls from the 2025 season pic.twitter.com/AZyPOQyCcP

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 26, 2026

63!!!!! Unless I lost track. Which is entirely possible. Thanks. Appreciate ALL of you and your kind words. You guys are the best. https://t.co/00iBZn1Ud3

— Dan Miller (@DanMillerFox2) January 26, 2026

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...ms-battling-cancer-attend-super-bowl-patriots

 

[Detroit Lions]

Detroit Lions signing former Bears tight end to futures deal

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 10: Thomas Gordon #48 of the Chicago Bears looks on against the Miami Dolphins during the NFL Preseason 2025 game at Soldier Field on August 10, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Detroit Lions have reportedly signed free agent tight end Thomas Gordon to a futures deal, per Aaron Wilson.

Last year, Gordon spent some of the 2025 season—his rookie year—with the Chicago Bears. He signed with the team in August, didn’t make their 53-man roster, signed to the practice squad in December, and was not signed to a futures deal by Chicago after their season ended.

Prior to his time with the Bears, Gordon was a late-season addition to the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas’ squad. He played only one game for them and did not record any statistics.

Before that, Gordon played for the Northwestern Wildcats for six years, starting in 18 games and appearing in a total of 54. While he’s never been a huge receiving threat, he did catch 27 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown in his super-senior year with the Wildcats in 2024.

At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, Gordon is built like a blocking-first tight end, but he had varying levels of success in college.

A lot has been made in recent weeks about the Lions potentially playing more 13 personnel with the hiring of Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator, which could mean more investment in the tight end position this offseason. Thus far, the Lions have only three other tight ends currently under contract for the 2026 season: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, and Zach Horton.

As of now, this signing is not yet official, but you can see every Lions player who is under contract for the 2026 season with our tracker here.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...igning-former-bears-tight-end-to-futures-deal

 

[Detroit Lions]

2026 NFL salary cap expected to exceed $300 million

Detroit Lions executive vice president and general manager Brad Holmes laughs with Miami Dolphins coaches during a joint practice at the Lions headquarters and training facility in Allen Park, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The NFL has yet to finalize the salary cap for the 2026 season, but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that the limit is expected to land between $301.2 million and $305.7 million.

If the salary cap indeed lands between those projected numbers, it would mark the second year in a row that the NFL has exceeded expert projections, as most anticipated the amount to fall short of $300M. Last offseason, the NFL projected the salary cap to land between $277.5M and $281.5M, and the final number for 2025 landed nearly dead in the middle at $279.2M.

At a minimum, that means the salary cap will increase by at least $22M from last season. While that may seem like a significant jump, it closely matches the average increase in salary cap that we’ve seen since the COVID pandemic.

Here’s a look at how the salary cap has changed over the last decade:

• 2016: $155.27M
• 2017: $167M
• 2018: $177.2M
• 2019: $188.2M
• 2020: $198.2M
• 2021: $182.5M (No fan attendance due to COVID restrictions)
• 2022: $208.2M (increase of $25.7M)
• 2023: $224.8M ($16.6M)
• 2024: $255.4M ($30.6M
• 2025: $279.2M ($23.8M)
• 2026: est. $301.2M – $305.7M

As for what this means for the Detroit Lions, it will give them a bit more flexibility in making roster decisions, but overall, an additional $5M to $10M over what was anticipated isn’t going to change things dramatically.

At this stage of the offseason, the Lions are still projected to be roughly $5M to $10M OVER the salary cap allotment. However, the NFL still has to factor in teams’ rollover salary cap from 2025, as well as make any adjustments based on contract bonuses, factoring in things like “not likely to be earned” (NLTBE) and “per-game” bonuses. Once these updates are factored in, the Lions could see their salary cap spending increase by another $20M—which would put them in cap compliance but leave little to spend in free agency and the NFL Draft.

While this may seem troubling, it’s worth noting that there are currently 12 other NFL teams that are also projected to be over the salary cap, including every team in the NFC North. That’s why most beat writers and salary cap experts are projecting the Lions to still work on restructuring some of their existing contracts in order to create more salary cap space in 2026.

We’ll have more information available at Pride of Detroit as rollover amounts and adjustment numbers become available ahead of the League’s new year, which is set to take place on March 11, 2026.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...nfl-salary-cap-expected-to-exceed-300-million

 

[Detroit Lions]

What is the best event of the NFL offseason calendar?

With only the SuperBowl left to play for the NFL’s 2025 season, now feels like a good time to look ahead to what should be a very interesting offseason for the Detroit Lions and the rest of the league. To begin, let’s start by setting the table and looking at some key dates provided to us by our own Jeremy Reisman’s article he wrote earlier in January.

Jeremy lays things out in a succintly, breaking events down month by month, from January all the way to the beginning of training camp in July. We have already seen quite a bit of excitement for the various college All-Star games such as the East-West Shrine Bowl and, on Saturday, the Senior Bowl. And soon it will already be February, and teams will begin making their preparations to be in Indianapolis for the annual NFL Combine.

After that, March rolls around marking the beginning of free agency, and the league meetings that take place towards the end of the month. Then of course there is the 2026 NFL Draft in April, mandatory minicamps—it never really stops in the NFL, even if there are no games being played.

That brings us to today’s question of the day—what is your favorite event of the NFL’s offseason?

My answer: Call me old school, but I love the combine, and not because I am a huge fan of events like the 40-yard dash or anything like that. I enjoy hearing the rumors and other news coming out of the event. Rarely are all of the league’s top decision-makers in the same place like they are for the combine, and from what I hear from others—you can learn a lot by being in the right steakhouse on the right evening.

On top of that, I feel like this is when mock drafts begin to hone in on what teams are actually thinking as the draft approaches. What about you? What is your favorite event of the offseason? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detroit-lions-discussion/156490/best-event-nfl-offseason-calendar

 

[Detroit Lions]

2026 Senior Bowl: Live discussion, TV channel, kickoff time

MOBILE, AL - FEBRUARY 01: A general view of the Reese's Senior Bowl Logo at midfield prior to the start of the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama on February 1, 2025 in Mobile, Alabama. The American Team defeated the National Team, 22-19. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** | Getty Images

Many Detroit Lions fans have already turned the page and started looking into the 2026 NFL Draft and free agency. For those that may still be lagging behind (see: myself), Saturday afternoon may be a good entry point to get to know this year’s draft class.

Down in Mobile, Alabama, the 2026 Senior Bowl will take place at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game, which is the biggest college all-star game on the circuit, will feature plenty of players the Lions will likely consider selecting during draft weekend in late April in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While the week of practice provides a ton of data for all 32 teams down there, the game itself is a place where these prospects can shine for the public and prove they aren’t just workout warriors.

This post can serve as an opportunity to talk about your favorite prospects, the best performances, and anything else from this week at the Senior Bowl. Simply just scroll down to the comment section at the bottom of the page and join the conversation of all the armchair general managers that are part of our community.

Before the game kicks off, be sure to read our 14 NFL Draft prospects to watch at the Senior Bowl to help guide your viewing experience of the game.

Additionally, if you need information on how to catch the game, here’s everything you need to know:

2026 Senior Bowl​

When: Saturday, Jan. 31 — 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Hancock Whitney Stadium — Mobile, AL
TV: NFL Network
Streaming: NFL+
Rosters: Click here for every player participating

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...-bowl-live-discussion-tv-channel-kickoff-time

 

[Detroit Lions]

Discussion: What was the biggest surprise of the 2025 NFL season?

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after defeating the Los Angeles Rams an NFC Championship NFL football game at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images

There is just one more game left to be played in the 2025-26 NFL season. Either the New England Patriots or Seattle Seahawks will walk away as champions.

Both teams are pretty big surprises this year. The Seahawks’ odds to win the Super Bowl before the start of training camp were about 60-to-1. The Patriots were an ever bigger longshot to be here. Odds for them were around 80-to-1. For comparison’s sake, the Lions had the fifth-best odds at 12-to-1.

All of that is to say that it’s been a very surprising year for everyone. Patrick Mahomes missed the playoffs, as did Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and Dak Prescott.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

What has been the biggest surprise of the 2025 NFL season?​

My answer: I could go in so many directions here. The Chicago Bears winning the NFC North is pretty high on the list, although I had a feeling they would at least compete for the division this year. The Chiefs going 6-11 was certainly shocking, but everyone knew they overachieved last year and were heading in the wrong direction. I’m still having trouble believing that the Jaguars went 13-4 this year.

But I think my biggest shock is that the Seahawks won the Geno Smith trade decisively.

I’ll be honest, I was extremely confused by the Seahawks’ move at the time. It seemed like a rebuilding move when they had a roster capable of contending already. Smith wasn’t outstanding in 2024, but he helped lead the Seahawks to a 10-7 record, threw for over 4,300 passes, and seemed like he could lead Seattle to another competitive season in 2025. Trading away a perfectly capable starting quarterback for just a third-round pick and no clear replacement was shocking at the time.

But the Seahawks smartly outbid everyone for Sam Darnold, and the quarterback upgrade couldn’t have been clearer. Check out the stats between 2025 Darnold and 2024 Smith.

Geno Smith’s 2024 season with Seahawks:

• 407-of-578 (70.4%) for 4,320 yards, 7.5 Y/A, 93.2 passer rating

Sam Darnold’s 2025 season with Seahawks:

• 323-of-477 (67.7%) for 4,048 yards, 8.5 Y/A, 99.1 passer rating

Meanwhile, Smith collapsed completely with the Raiders, throwing just 19 touchdowns to 17 interceptions for an 84.7 passer rating—and now Las Vegas has a new head coach and will likely be looking for a new quarterback.

My perception of the trade from when it happened to what it looks like now is a stark reminder that this game is very hard to predict.

What was the biggest surprise of the 2025 NFL season to you? Share your answers in the comment section at the bottom of the page.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...s-the-biggest-surprise-of-the-2025-nfl-season

 

[Detroit Lions]

Detroit Lions have 6 of ESPN top 100 MVP candidates for 2025

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) takes a selfie with offensive tackle Penei Sewell (58) as they exit the field after 52-21 win over Chicago Bears at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last week, ESPN’s Seth Walder put together a list of the top-100 MVP candidates for the 2025 NFL season. We already know the five finalists for the actual MVP award—Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, and Christian McCaffrey—and the winner will be announced later this upcoming week at the NFL Honors on Thursday, Feb. 5.

But Walder’s endeavor is a fun exercise in selecting the 100 players who played the best and arguably had the biggest impact on the 2025 season. And for Detroit Lions fans, this is probably a necessary reminder that their team’s core remains extremely talented.

Walder’s list of 100 players included six Lions, five of whom were listed among the top-50. Here’s where each of those players landed on his MVP candidate list:

• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown — 17
• EDGE Aidan Hutchinson — 22
• RT Penei Sewell — 28
• QB Jared Goff — 33
• LB Jack Campbell — 50
• RB Jahmyr Gibbs — 64

To put those rankings into perspective among their peers, here’s where each player ranked among their position group on Walder’s list:

• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown — 4th among WRs
• EDGE Aidan Hutchinson — 5th among EDGEs
• RT Penei Sewell — 3rd among OTs
• QB Jared Goff — 9th among QBs
• LB Jack Campbell — 1st among LBs
• RB Jahmyr Gibbs — 2nd among RBs

And to put the Lions’ six players in context, here are the number of top-100 players that some other notable teams had:

New England Patriots: 4
Seattle Seahawks: 8
Los Angeles Rams: 6
Denver Broncos: 7
Green Bay Packers: 3
Chicago Bears: 2

The best part about the Lions players on this list is that they are all likely to be around for the long term. Goff, St. Brown, Sewell, and Hutchinson are all signed on for at least the next three seasons, while Gibbs and Campbell are likely to join both of them this offseason. And amongst that group of six, only Goff is older than 26 years old, so Detroit’s core of talented players are both entering the primes of their respective careers and will be in Detroit for that span.

This year is proof that star talent isn’t exactly everything. Still, Detroit’s floor remains extremely high given this talented core. The challenge will be to complement these superstars with a strong supporting cast, and that’s certainly what Lions general manager Brad Holmes will seek out to do this offseason.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...roit-lions-have-6-of-espn-top-100-mvp-seasons

 

[Detroit Lions]

Detroit Lions’ offseason approach shouldn’t hinge on Taylor Decker’s decision

Nov 27, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker (68) and Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell greet each other prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions went through a pretty significant change along the interior of their offensive line in 2025. This upcoming season, it’s likely time for the offensive tackle position to prepare for a transition.

Dan Skipper has already retired, and the Lions await a decision from left tackle Taylor Decker on his football future. But no matter what Decker decides is best for him, the Lions would be wise to approach the offseason with change in mind.

Let’s get into it in our latest Detroit Lions positional recap and offseason preview.

Previously:

• QB recap: Jared Goff still in the prime of his career
• RB recap: Breaking down 2 huge decisions for Lions
• TE recap: 2026 is a pivotal offseason for TEs
• WR recap: Lions face just 1 offseason question

Lions 2025 recap: Offensive tackles​

• Taylor Decker stats (14 games):
  • 67.9 PFF grade — 40th out of 86 qualifying OTs
  • 69.5 pass blocking grade — 39th out of 82
  • 62.1 run blocking grade — 56th out of 86
• Penei Sewell stats (16 games):
  • 95.1 PFF grade — 1st out of 86 qualifying OTs
  • 80.3 pass blocking grade — 8th out of 82
  • 96.8 run blocking grade — 1st out of 86

• Dan Skipper (12 games, 5 starts):
  • 50.5 PFF grade — Did not qualify
  • 69.3 pass blocking grade
  • 47.5 run blocking grade

Penei Sewell continued to have an incredible season in 2025, despite him believing it wasn’t his best year. He’s earned First-Team All Pro yet again, and he’s up for the inaugural Protector of the Year Award, which will be announced later this week.

Decker battled a shoulder injury all season. It required him to miss the majority of practices each week and an intense routine of rehab and prehab. Despite the physical struggles, Decker still produced an above-average season. He did have his lowest-graded season since 2017 and worst pass blocking grade (69.5), but that speaks more to how underappreciated he’s been. He’s still very capable of being a reliable, solid left tackle in this league.

But throughout the season, Decker talked about his thoughts on retirement. The shoulder injury clearly took a toll mentally, as he pondered his future with his family. At the end of the year, Decker made it clear if he were to make the decision right away, his football career would be over. But he wanted to remove himself from the emotional moment, gather more information on his health, and a make a decision on his future at a later time.

“If that’s what my future is going to be to continue to play—that’s not something I’m willing to do. Because I’m not willing to put my family through it,” Decker said after the Lions’ final season. “I’m not willing to be distant and not be a present father, because your kids are only little once, and, God willing, we have more. I want to be able to play with them. I want to be able to throw the ball with them. I mean, I can’t throw a football right now. No way. But could I (play in 2026), given the right set of circumstances? Maybe. But I need to go through that process.”

Manu didn’t take the jump to be OT3, as some were hoping. Instead, he battled injuries, missing the final three months of the season with a knee injury.

2026 for outlook​

Currently under contract:

• Penei Sewell (signed through 2029)
• Taylor Decker (2027)
• Giovanni Manu (2027)
• Devin Cochran (2026)

Pending free agents:

• Jamarco Jones (unrestricted)
• Chris Hubbard (street free agent, can sign now)
• Dan Skipper (retired)

While the Lions, in theory, could be fine in 2026 with Sewell, Decker, and Manu as their top three tackles, the potential retirement of Decker—plus the already-announced retirement of Dan Skipper—should change Detroit’s strategy immediately.

Last year, the Lions found themselves somewhat unprepared at the center position after Frank Ragnow’s retirement after the draft. They may have been able to patchwork things with Graham Glasgow at center and rookie Tate Ratledge at right guard, but the interior offensive line didn’t hold up. The Lions can’t afford to make the same mistake twice.

Detroit needs to prepare for Decker’s retirement this offseason, whether it ends up happening or not. That means, at the very least, adding a starting tackle in free agency. Sure, they could (and should) consider an offensive tackle with their first or second-round pick, but they cannot just wait to see if their preferred option falls to them in the draft. Rather than aggressively going up to get their guy in the draft and spending valuable draft resources, or taking the risk to see if he falls to them, they need a Plan A to ensure their flexibility in the draft.

To be fair, finding a starting tackle in free agency is no easy task. Teams don’t generally let great starting offensive linemen just walk for nothing in free agency. But there are some intriguing players that do admittedly come with some questions, including Jonah Williams, Rob Havenstein, and Jermaine Eluemunor.

If Decker ends up sticking around, yeah, it’ll be a little weird to have another starter on the roster—especially one that may have signed with the expectation to start. But for the Lions, it still makes sense to have that contingency plan and have another strong depth option with Skipper now retired. In short, offensive tackle needs to be a high priority regardless of Decker’s decision.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...ldnt-hinge-taylor-deckers-retirement-decision