The Detroit Lions have been on a slow but steady upward trajectory since head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes took over four years ago, culminating with two straight NFC North titles and a 15-win season in 2024.
But the Lions could find difficulty sustaining the success in 2025, with one insider warning that the team faces some major challenges. They will also face a tougher division in the coming season with several NFC North teams on the rise.
Lions Warned About Moving Backward
The Athletic’s Mike Jones put the Lions on the list of the most overrated teams heading into the NFL season, noting that their coaching staff took a major blow.
“Detroit (and Kansas City) posted the best record in the league last season at 15-2, and oddsmakers gave the Lions strong early votes of confidence for Super Bowl contention,” Jones wrote. “But the Lions could take a step back in 2025, and not just because they lost former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs.”
Jones added that the Lions took some big losses to their offensive line, which had been one of the league’s best units.
“The retirement of four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow and free agency departure of right guard Kevin Zeitler also left huge holes in the heart of an offensive line that last season paved the way for one of the top rushing attacks and enabled quarterback Jared Goff to post the second-best passer rating in the league,” Jones wrote.
The Lions have won back-to-back NFC North titles, but will need to contend with a Green Bay Packers team that has become a dark horse Super Bowl pick and a Minnesota Vikings team coming off a 14-win season and turning to promising quarterback J.J. McCarthy to lead the offense.
Dan Campbell Thinking Long Term
Whether the Lions take a step back in 2025 or not, Campbell appears committed to building the team’s long-term success. He said in an appearance on 95.7 The Ticket that he doesn’t see himself leaving Detroit anytime soon and believes he’s a perfect fit for the team and the city.
“I belong here. It fits,” Campbell said. “I say it all the time, you don’t know when you’re going to get an opportunity or even if you will at head coach. There’s probably only one team that felt like I was the guy, and I’m there. It’s Detroit. Just everything about it was the right fit for me. From the ownership to the city to the field, the location, the fans, just, man, the blue-collar attitude of this city, it’s just perfect. It fits me like a glove.”
Campbell also shared love for Lions owner Sheila Hamp, saying she has the team well-positioned for long-term success.
“When you’ve got an owner who just tells you, ‘Look, do whatever you need to do, and I will get you whatever you need to have success. Whatever we need from a resources standpoint, I’ll do. I just want you to do it and be yourself.’ When somebody tells you that, I don’t have you worry about what I look like, what I say, I’m just me. I try to coach that way. I try to live that way,” Campbell said.
