It’s been an unsatisfying start to free agency for Detroit Lions fans. After a frustrating offseason that involved saying goodbye to David Montgomery and Taylor Decker—plus legal trouble in the secondary—the hope was that free agency could provide some hope that the Lions were ready to bounce back from a tough 2025 season.
Instead, the first three days of free agency have been mostly defined by losses. The scoreboard as of Thursday morning was:
- Six Lions free agents signing elsewhere
- Three Lions players released
- Two Lions players re-signed
- Four new additions, two of which are depth pieces you hope will never see the field
That’s nine departures, and only six signings.
The outlook on defense is currently looking especially dire, as they’ve lost four significant contributors from 2025 and have added exactly zero. Their defensive end room is basically empty, and their secondary is full of questions with little answers.
So, what the hell is going on?
On a special mid-week episode of the PODcast, we try to wrap our heads around the start of free agency. The most important point is quite simple: free agency is not over. While many of the more popular names are off the board, there’s still a ton of talent left. And if you look at Lions general manager Brad Holmes’ biggest free agency successes, many of them have happened in the second and third waves of free agency. Just look at last year, where the Lions added Roy Lopez, Rock Ya-Sin, Grant Stuard, and Avonte Maddox all in the second and third waves of free agency.
But also, maybe something else is going on. Maybe the Lions are shifting their strategy. There’s an apparent youth movement underway, and maybe that enigmatic quote from Dan Campbell about adding competition and getting back to their old selves is a hint toward them doing that.
We discuss it all on this week’s PODcast. In addition to that, we break down our thoughts on Cade Mays, Isiah Pacheco, Larry Borom, and the return of Teddy Bridgewater. Plus, we ask ourselves if we would’ve paid the contract terms to some of the players the Lions lost got with their new teams.
You can listen to the entire show using your favorite podcasting platform or via the Spotify embed below:
Catch the video portion of the show—with bonus content—over on our YouTube page or Twitch channel.
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