Detroit Lions

Nothing is assured, but Lions are poised for more than ‘one shot’ at Super Bowl

Published Feb. 1, 2024 9:07 a.m. ET

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Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

The NFL, among its many players, coaches and executives, bears another acronym: Not For Long.

That has many applications. National Football League players aren't guaranteed to have long careers. The league average hovers around just three years. Coaches aren't guaranteed to be employed by the same team or on the same staff for a significant amount of time. If your head coach gets fired as an assistant, odds are you're out the door, too. Team success can be fleeting, too.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows that better than anyone.

It's why he was realistic with his team when the Lions lost in the NFC Championship game, blowing a 17-point halftime lead to succumb to the San Francisco 49ers by a measly three points. Detroit had improved so much from the time Campbell took over. 

They went 12-5 in the regular season, the first Lions team to do so since the Kennedy administration. They won the division for the first time in over three decades, and the first time since it had been rebranded the NFC North. Detroit hosted its first playoff game in over 30 years and then hosted another one, the first postseason action in Ford Field history. But their end result was the same as everyone else's.

"This could have been our only shot," Campbell said he told his team. 

He went on to say he didn't believe it was. He didn't think that was the case going forward. NFL coaches can't think that way. But Campbell also said getting back to the championship game in hopes of moving on to the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl would likely be twice as hard.

A lot of it has to do with the teams around the Lions. Within their own division, the Green Bay Packers not only made the playoffs with the league's youngest team, but dominated the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Minnesota Vikings suffered a catastrophic injury when quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles but their defense under Brian Flores improved dramatically. If the Vikings are healthy next season, they will be formidable. 

Then there are the Chicago Bears, who made staff changes to bring in one of the most highly coveted offensive coordinators in this coaching cycle in Shane Waldron, who has filled out his staff with well-rounded experience. That's on top of a sneaky-good roster, and there's only one question left for the Bears, albeit the biggest one. If they get their quarterback situation right, Chicago could be on the rise, too.

Success can be fleeting.

Yet, the Lions are still poised to "run it back." The biggest indicator that Campbell has built something special in Detroit is the fact that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, widely considered one of the best head-coaching candidates this cycle, has elected to stay with the Lions and on Campbell's staff, foregoing a major pay increase in favor of the chance to win a Super Bowl championship for Detroit.

Does Ben Johnson's return make the Detroit Lions NFL favorites next year?

Johnson cited "unfinished business" as the reason he was staying when he called star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to tell him the news.

Upon further examination, Johnson's decision isn't shocking.

The Lions have one of the best young cores in the league. Two of their most productive players were rookies in tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. LaPorta shattered multiple rookie tight end records, catching 86 passes on 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns along with being a solid blocker. Gibbs, who split time with veteran running back David Montgomery, rushed 182 times for 945 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns of his own. He added another receiving touchdown. It's the first time in league history that multiple rookies accounted for double-digit touchdowns in the same season.

Add in the fact that St. Brown just finished his third year in the league, along with elite offensive tackle Penei Sewell, who also has a fifth-year option on his contract, and the Lions are in good contractual shape for at least another season (though it wouldn't hurt to extend St. Brown sooner rather than later given his second-straight season over 1,000 yards and an All-Pro nod this year).

That youth movement extends to the other side of the ball, too. Detroit got plenty of production out of rookie safety Brian Branch and rookie inside linebacker Jack Campbell. Their most well-known defensive player, Aidan Hutchinson, just wrapped up his second season and as a first-round pick, is under team control through the 2026 season. 

Is Dan Campbell receiving too much hate for the Lions NFC Championship loss?

The only big-time contracts Detroit has to worry about in the immediate future are Goff, left tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow. None of their contracts are up this season and any restructuring would just be a bonus. The Lions are scheduled to have over $60 million in cap space to work with.

There are benefits to being one of the youngest teams in the league.

We've also seen general manager Brad Holmes have great success in the draft, especially this last class, which was widely ridiculed at the time. All four of his first picks hit to various degrees, between Gibbs, Campbell, Branch and LaPorta. The Lions have four picks in the top 100 for 2024.

Detroit doesn't even have that many holes to fill on the roster.

The pass defense was again an issue this season, but it was mainly due to injury rather than lack of talent. Still, they'll want to insulate against that and add more pieces to the secondary. Plus, CJ Gardner-Johnson won't be under contract. Neither will Emmanuel Moseley. The Lions got by for a majority of the year without each of them. 

They can try to re-sign them at a discount or look elsewhere. Detroit could use another edge rusher, like every other team, and maybe some depth at linebacker. They'll have to decide whether to re-sign left guard Jonah Jackson. More depth along the offensive line wouldn't hurt. But nothing is dire and again, they'll have a ton of cap space and draft capital to work with.

Lastly, the Lions have all the intangibles teams need to go far in the postseason. They had plenty of motivation this season. Their underdog status is gone; they'll be among the favorites to win next year's Super Bowl. Draftkings currently gives them the seventh-best future odds. But Detroit will also be battle-tested. They not only have the chip on their shoulder, but they now know the pain of coming within reach only to let their championship hopes slip. 

Snap back to reality, Detroit, and don't give up that easily. Odds are, you'll get more than one shot.

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.

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Detroit Lions

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Jahmyr Gibbs

Jared Goff

Sam LaPorta

Amon-Ra St. Brown

Aidan Hutchinson