The Detroit Lions went from having the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to falling just a tie-breaker short of the playoffs later that season. Now, the Lions must take the next step to become a playoff team and that starts this NFL offseason. The way the franchise does this starts with moves like these bold Lions offseason predictions.
Last season, the Lions finally made the jump to relevance thanks to head coach Dan Campbell, solid draft picks, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson getting the most out of Jared Goff and the offense. The team needs to continue building on this success in the 2023 NFL offseason by accumulating talent on both sides of the ball.
At the same time, the Lions need to keep one eye on the future, especially at quarterback. The team has an extra first-round pick, thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade, and one of those picks needs to go toward replacing Goff down the line, which is why Kentucky quarterback Will Levis will be a draft-day target.
The Lions have a lot of work to do in free agency and the draft, but with another good NFL offseason, they can become perennial contenders in a relatively weak NFC North. With that in mind, here are four bold Lions offseason predictions.
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4. Cut veterans with big contracts
The Lions are in a decent spot in terms of salary cap space heading into the NFL offseason. The team has $15,924,119 in room, the 10th-best amount in the NFL right now. However, that number can grow exponentially so that the team can sign free agents and re-sign crucial pieces.
Restructuring several deals will add up to an additional $24 million in salary cap space. The major candidates for these tweaks are QB Jared Goff, center Frank Ragnow, and left tackle Taylor Decker.
Outside of that group, there are several veterans the Lions can part ways with. Cutting linebacker Romeo Okwara, defensive tackle Michael Brockers, and guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai will free up another $24 million and make the Lions major players in free agency.
3. Re-sign RB Jamaal Williams
One reason to create salary cap space this Lions offseason is to re-sign key free agents.
Last season, RB Jamaal Willams had a career year, rushing for 1,066 yards and leading the league with 17 rushing touchdowns. The team still has D’Andre Swift, but Williams is not just the team’s lead back. He’s a leader and a fan favorite as well.
The Lions should be able to keep Williams for around $4.1 million per season, according to his Spotrac market value, and that’s a bargain for a player as productive and important as Williams was last season. That’s why re-signing the RB is a bold Lions offseason prediction.
2. Sign CB Jamel Dean in free agency
On the other side of the ball, the Lions can use their cap space to improve on one of the biggest weaknesses from last season, the secondary.
Jeff Okudah finally had a (nearly) full season, playing in 15 games, which is great for the Lions D. However, now he needs a partner on the other side, and the Lions pass-rush needs cover men who can give them more time to get after the QB.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean is one of (if not) the best free-agent corners on the market in the NFL offseason. And with Tom Brady gone, the Bucs will likely let some of their bigger-ticket items walk.
With a $16.5 million market value, Dean won’t come cheap, but he’s worth it at a premium position of need. This is why the Lions' clearing space is a necessity as well.
1. Draft Kentucky QB Will Levis
Most of the Lions bold offseason predictions are geared toward the team making the playoffs for the first time since 2016 in 2023. However, with the additional first-round pick from the Matthew Stafford trade, the Lions are in a unique spot.
With the way the team is trending, they (hopefully) won’t have a top-five draft pick for a while now. That means they have to use this one to draft the QB who will ultimately replace Jared Goff.
Goff is locked down for 2023, but the team can get off his contract with just $10 million in dead cap as early as the next NFL offseason. He’s also under contract at around $31 million for 2024 and 2025, which are reasonable numbers.
That means with the No. 6 pick, the Lions can draft Kentucky signal-caller Will Levis.
Levis has an incredible range of physical tools but didn’t take a big step in development during his final year of college. The final bold Lions offseason prediction is that the team takes the QB early in the first and lets him sit and develop behind Goff for a year or two.
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