Now that we’re a day removed from Super Bowl reactions, it feels like we’ve officially begun the NFL offseason.

After covering franchise tags, tenders, and the scouting combine on Monday, we’re rolling ahead with Part II of our step-by-step guide to the Detroit Lions’ 2025 offseason, with full coverage of the team’s in-house free agents, a brief primer on free agency and the trade market, and potential cap casualties.

We’ll conclude with Part III tomorrow, which will cover the draft, offseason extensions, fifth-year options and all other notable offseason events.

In-house free agents

We gave the general outlook for all of Detroit’s in-house unrestricted free agents (UFAs) back in January, but now it’s time to start parsing through and making decisions.

Offense

On offense, the Lions only have five UFAs: offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, wide receiver Tim Patrick, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, offensive lineman Dan Skipper and wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Of this group, I’m most confident in Skipper’s return. He’s found a home in Detroit and the Lions flatter his skillset more than any other sixth offensive lineman in the league. Unless a cellar dweller offers up a starting job in free agency, expect him back at a low rate.

Zeitler vastly outperformed his one-year, $6 million contract and will be a hot commodity on the open market after proving he still has some good football left in him. However, he’s getting up there in age and doesn’t have a ring, which is what I think will ultimately keep him in Detroit. With rookie Christian Mahogany waiting in the wings, the Lions won’t have to force Zeitler’s return if the price is out of their comfort zone. On the other hand, one of their biggest weaknesses is at the guard position, after Graham Glasgow struggled to smoothly transition to the left side, so it might be worth going up to the range of $8-9 million for Zeitler to ensure quality depth on the interior. More on Glasgow later.

Patrick’s return on a one- or two-year deal makes all the sense in the world for both sides. Detroit took a chance on him after missing consecutive seasons due to injury, and he rewarded the club with 33 catches on 44 targets for 394 yards and three touchdowns. Robinson wasn’t nearly as impactful, but he did dress for 12 games and made a few timely catches. He’s played for three teams in three seasons; returning to his hometown of Detroit for training camp next year feels like another good situation for both sides.

Defensively, the Lions’ attrition has left them with 14 in-house UFAs, so we’ll go position-by-position there.

Defensive line/Edge

The Lions have more free agents on their defensive line (seven) than their entire offense: Marcus Davenport, Levi Onwuzurike, John Cominsky, Kyle Peko, Pat O’Connor, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Jonah Williams.

Davenport’s return would be a tough sell; some were skeptical he’d be able to hold up over 17 games after receiving a one-year, $6.5 million deal last offseason, and he had his season ended with a torn triceps in Week 3. If you’re going to preach depth, you can’t also make his return a priority this offseason, unless it’s at an exceptionally low price.

Onwuzurike’s upcoming contract is perhaps the most interesting of the entire Lions free-agent class. He looked like he’d explode onto the scene in training camp, and when edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson was running around out there, Onwuzurike was feasting as a pass rusher. But as the Lions’ star power withered away, he struggled to make an impact beyond his run defense — which, to his credit, was pretty dang good.

Ultimately, Onwuzurike’s inconsistency could work out in the Lions’ favor; instead of being poached away by a sizeable offer elsewhere, I wonder if the best solution for him is a two-year bridge deal that gives him immediate security while allowing him to re-enter the market rather quickly.

Muhammad’s performances were boom-or-bust after signing with the Lions midseason, but coach Dan Campbell consistently sang his praises. He won’t cost much, and I’m confident he’ll be back in some capacity, even if he doesn’t make the team out of training camp. The same goes for Cominsky, who found a home with the Lions after struggling to make hay early in his career and is coming off a severe knee injury; being in a familiar place is probably his best path forward.

I’m less confident about Peko, who was set to be an important rotational piece at nose tackle before a torn pec ended his season. It feels like he could follow former defensive line coach Terrell Willams to New England, but his return would certainly be more than welcome. O’Connor and Williams were fine rotational pieces in a dire situation, but they were still at the bottom of the depth chart on a team desperate for talent and probably don’t factor into any real future plans.

Linebacker

Given the trajectory Derrick Barnes was on entering the season, there probably would have been a pretty decent market for his services this spring. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 and it’s likely his best option is likely to return to Detroit, where his position coach (Kelvin Sheppard) just became the new defensive coordinator. A reunion makes too much sense for both sides, probably on a shorter-term deal.

Ben Niemann signed with the team last offseason, appeared in all 17 games as a core special-teamer and was a reliable stopgap at linebacker. There’s a good chance he’s back in Detroit next season.

Ezekiel Turner and Kwon Alexander were signed midseason and provided fine play, given the difficulty of what they were asked to do. Turner had more time on task, but Alexander, the former Pro-Bowler, probably still has the higher ceiling. I could see both of these players returning for training camp, but with the strength of the Lions’ linebacker room (when healthy), it’s going to be an uphill battle for both players, so perhaps they take their new tape and see if any teams out there want to let them compete for a bigger role.

Secondary

Cornerback Carlton Davis III’s future in Detroit is the biggest coin flip of anybody on the roster. He was the right player at the right time for what the Lions needed in 2024, but he’s probably looking at his last chance for a big payday and probably won’t be shorting himself to chase a ring (which he already has). Still, I think the proven commodity could be worth ponying up for if he’s looking for a contract south of $15 million annually.

As for cornerback Khalil Dorsey: The Lions think he’s the best gunner in the NFL; they also trust him on defense, and when he returns from a broken tibia and fibula — he was already out of his walking boot on locker-room cleanout day — the team will have a spot for him. Cornerback Kindle Vildor has drawn ire from fans after being thrust into action during the biggest moments of the last two seasons, but it’s clear the Lions trust him as a reserve, so he’s definitely in the mix to be back on a one-year deal, whether people back the move or not.

You can probably expect the Lions and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to go their separate ways, though. Moseley tore an ACL in consecutive seasons before missing most of 2024 due to a torn pec and becoming the odd man out, come playoff time. There’s still hope he can be a productive player again, but the stakes are too high for Detroit to count on it.

Rounding out the defensive free agents, we have safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. He’s been good when healthy, but the Lions haven’t been able to rely on that; he’s missed 31 games over his other four seasons. From his perspective, he’s probably a starting safety when healthy, and since the Lions can’t offer him that spot — Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph have an argument to be the league’s best safety tandem — a fresh start is probably the best option.

Special teams

Kicker Michael Badgley is the only Lions special-teamer to hit free agency this offseason, and unfortunately for him, the Lions already have a franchise kicker in Jake Bates. Badgley’s consistency probably would have allowed him to win the job out of camp last season, but he had a season-ending hamstring injury and Bates exploded when the regular season rolled around. The Lions will have to bring in a camp body to share the workload with Bates, so maybe Badgley returns, but I think there’s a good chance he’s able to find a better path to being the starter elsewhere.

Free-agent negotiation period begins (March 10, 12 p.m.)

Before players can officially sign with new teams at 4 p.m. on March 12, there will be a two-day “legal tampering” window. Teams and player agents are free to do everything a normal negotiation would entail besides signing on the dotted line.

New league year begins (March 12, 4 p.m.)

The 2024 contracts expire when the new league year rings in on March 12 at 4 p.m., meaning teams can officially sign the players they’ve agreed to contracts with over the prior two days. The trade market also re-opens at this time.

Free agency: We provided an early look at 10 players who could be of interest to the Lions earlier this month and will have a comprehensive position-by-position overview of the class in a few weeks. As we mentioned yesterday, the Lions are in a good spot with the salary cap entering this offseason, but big-money contracts are coming for a few draftees, and that money goes quickly.

All told, the Lions don’t have many “glaring holes” on the roster. Even the biggest perceived weakness (defensive line) has a high-end starting unit of Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, DJ Reader and Za’Darius Smith. But they could undoubtedly use more depth — the Philadelphia Eagles had eight players who rushed the passer 10 or more times in their Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs — and this is the time to find proven production to fill in the gaps.

I’d expect the Lions to use free agency as a vehicle to find help at cornerback (even if Davis returns), linebacker, and interior offensive line, mostly on one- to two-year deals.

Trades: If the Lions do end up making a big splash this offseason, I would expect it to be via trade for a player who’s reaching the end of his contract. While I don’t necessarily see a Myles Garrett-type deal happening, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a move on the level of trading for Davis, which cost the Lions a third-round pick a season ago.

Detroit will soon be awarded two third-round compensatory picks for the New York Jets hiring Aaron Glenn, which is a nice bit of extra ammo for Lions general manager Brad Holmes to work with.

Cap casualties

Cap casualties are an unavoidable reality of the NFL, and projecting which players could be cut from the roster — especially starters — is not a fun exercise. These are ultimately human beings with families, and so I want to start this section by saying that I’m not suggesting the players below should be cut. Rather, here are some of the players who could provide cap relief, if the Lions are looking to do so.

Edge Za’Darius Smith: Smith, acquired from the Browns at the trade deadline, would probably be the best “running mate” Hutchinson has had during his time in Detroit. He’s due $11.6 million (spread out over two years) in 2025, and the Lions could wipe the slate clean without any dead cap by releasing him after the new league year begins. Still, $11.6 million is a perfectly fair rate for a guy who consistently provides 60-plus pressures and has averaged eight sacks over his last three seasons. A contract restructuring could be in order, but cutting Smith altogether would be short-sighted, in my opinion.

Offensive guard Graham Glasgow: Glasgow moved to left guard after the Lions signed Zeitler and had one of his most disappointing seasons in a Lions uniform. There’s a chance moving Glasgow back to right guard and letting Mahogany take over at left guard could solve the Lions’ problems, but if they’d prefer to keep Zeitler, cutting Glasgow after June 1 is an option. Detroit would incur just $2.4 million in dead cap for 2025 (and $1.4 million in 2026 and ’27) while freeing up $5 million in 2025 and $7 million in ’26.

Defensive tackle DJ Reader: Reader was one of Detroit’s marquee acquisitions last offseason, and he played a pivotal role in the middle of the line. But he’s also the ninth-highest-paid player on the team and has a cap hit of $12.9 million next season. By cutting Reader post-June 1, the Lions could save $11.7 million in cap space in 2025 and $2.5 million in ’26 while incurring $4.9 million total in dead cap, spread out over the next four seasons at $1.2 million per. But like in Smith’s situation, cutting Reader would immediately present a hole at their biggest position of need, so again, it’s probably short-sighted.

Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin: Reeves-Maybin is a culture guy who’s one year removed from making All-Pro as a special-teamer. His cap hit is $4.6 million next season, which isn’t bad for a player who can reliably contribute on defense. Cutting him at any point this offseason (either before or after June 1) would result in $2.7 million in dead money and free up $1.9 million in cap space, which isn’t a whole lot, but could end up mattering if the Lions are going to push the cap to its limits.

Wide receiver Kalif Raymond: Raymond is one of the most beloved players on the team and is entering the second season of a two-year extension signed in 2023. He’s also another culture guy, so it might be hard to see the Lions parting ways with him, but the financials of it could make sense. With a post-June 1 cut, the Lions would free up $4.8 million in cap space for 2025 while also incurring an additional $1.6 million in dead money for 2026.