A very Sad News : Am Leaving Lions key player accepted a deal of $35.5m to depart from Detroit lions today after…

The Detroit Lions produced a banner season in 2023, winning their first division championship in three decades and advancing all the way to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 32 years.

 

And, a significant chunk of the Lions’ success this past season can be attributed to the strong ’23 draft class produced by general manager Brad Holmes.

 

Most notably, Holmes struck gold on his first-and-second-round selections. He traded back from the No. 6 overall pick to get running back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 overall, and then drafted off-ball linebacker Jack Campbell at No. 18. He then followed that up by selecting tight end Sam LaPorta at No. 34 overall – with the additional pick the organization had gained from trading out of the No. 6 spot – and defensive back Brian Branch with the 45th pick.

 

While those picks were much maligned at the time because of their lack of so-called “positional value,” they ended up paying huge dividends for Holmes & Co.

 

Gibbs and LaPorta each became Pro Bowlers in their first seasons, while Branch emerged as a difference-making player in the Lions’ secondary. Additionally, Campbell, while not as impactful, still flashed glimpses of being a productive member of the team’s linebacking corps.

 

At this present juncture, it appears as if the organization is on the trajectory to becoming perennial Super Bowl contenders. Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo believes the Lions will be able to succeed in doing just that by continuing to build through the draft.

 

“I think they’re smart enough to know, keep your foot on the gas, keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Palazzolo said on PFF’s “Fixing Every AFC & NFC North Team in 5 Minutes!” show. “They hit on four of those top 50 or whatever draft picks. I think Jack Campbell is going to be a hit at the end of the day, but the other three for sure. They hit on those draft picks. They’re not living in this world with the extra draft capital anymore. So, I think they have to continue to hit on their picks, because they’ll have fewer picks.”

 

He and fellow PFF writer Sam Monson suggested that EDGE Danielle Hunter would be a wise free-agent target for Detroit this offseason. They opined that he would provide a much-needed boost to the team’s pass-rushing efforts, without taking away from the team’s ability to retain its own crop of star players.

 

“But then same thing, if you’re really looking two and three years down the road here, you keep hitting on draft picks, just like the Saints had that 2017 draft class where they all came due, in Ryan Ramczyk, (Alvin) Kamara and Trey Hendrickson, you have to anticipate being able to pay all those guys in a few years,” Palazzolo continued. “And as I mentioned, (Aidan) Hutchinson and (Penei) Sewell, the Lions now have this world where they’ve drafted so well, three and four years from now, those dudes have to get paid. So, you can’t be just throwing money around like crazy. A Danielle Hunter move, though, I don’t think is one of those.”

 

6 Wide Receivers Lions Should Watch at NFL Combine

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Here is a collection of other storylines surrounding the Detroit Lions on Feb. 24.

 

MLive’s Ben Raven selected Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu for the Lions at No. 29 overall in his first 2024 mock draft.

Lions Wire touched upon Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson ringing the opening goal horn in the Red Wings’ 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues Saturday afternoon.

Bills Central explored the possibility of longtime Lions defensive end Romeo Okwara being a free-agent target for the Buffalo Bills.

Maggie Gray and Andrew Perloff of CBS Sports Radio’s “Maggie & Perloff” discussed whether the Lions are going to ink Jared Goff to a contract extension worth $50 million a year.

Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions talks with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Inglewood, California.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

 

 

After making it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, the Detroit Lions are aiming their sights for a Super Bowl appearance in 2024.

 

The Lions came into the 2023 NFL campaign expected to make a leap and they made good on those hopes as they won the NFC North and made a deep postseason run.

 

Although Detroit fell just short of beating the San Francisco 49ers, the franchise has nothing to be ashamed of given how they played on both ends.

 

Their offense proved it was able to hold up in the playoffs and that’s a large credit to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has established himself as one of the best play-callers in the league.

 

Despite receiving interest for head coaching positions, Johnson surprisingly opted to stay in Detroit and make another run with the team.

 

During the offseason recently, Johnson showed how committed he is to the city by appearing at a Detroit Red Wings game, via Max Bultman of The Athletic.

 

“Lions OC Ben Johnson on the goal horn today,” Bultman reported.

 

Lions OC Ben Johnson on the goal horn today pic.twitter.com/yip9LN9Azt

 

— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) February 24, 2024

 

Johnson was the reported favorite to land the Washington Commanders head coaching job, but pulled out last minute.

 

It was a shocking move considering how highly-coveted he was, but it shows that he’s dedicated to putting the Lions on top.

 

The OC has several weapons to use at his disposal in Detroit and probably felt like his best chance to win a Super Bowl was to stay put.

 

It’ll be worth monitoring to see if that was the right move, but there’s no reason to doubt that he and the Lions will be a force to be reckoned with next season.

 

NEXT: Lions Star WR Joins Elite Club After Notable Season

 

Matthew Peralta

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Matthew Peralta

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Matt was born and raised in Long Beach, Calif. and is a lifelong Lakers fan. Because of his love for basketball and […]

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