Super Bowl 60 is in the books and 2026 NFL free agency is still a month away, but the NFL offseason is starting to simmer with a busy few months ahead.
Teams can begin using the franchise tag Tuesday, Feb. 17, the scouting combine kicks off a week later and that’s where plenty of trade and free agent dialogue will begin.
The Detroit Lions face an especially important offseason after missing the playoffs for the first time in three years. They have a talented-enough roster to enter 2026 as one of the favorites to win the NFC and break the Super Bowl drought, but have several pressing issues they must address first this spring.
Here are the eight biggest storylines to watch with the Lions this offseason.
1. Center of attention
The Lions struggled to replace Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow after his premature retirement last June and they can’t go into 2026 with the position unsettled again. Graham Glasgow is not expected to return, and while the Lions have floated the possibility of returning Tate Ratledge to center, that doesn’t seem like the best option considering his preference to stay at guard and the promise he showed at that position in 2025.
It’s possible the Lions take a center in April’s draft, but there’s no guarantee they can find a plug-and-play starter if they wait that long. The better approach might be to try and fill the position in free agency where players such as the Baltimore Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum and the Buffalo Bills’ Connor McGovern are slated to hit the market. The Lions aren’t the only team looking for a center this spring, but fixing this position feels like their No. 1 priority.
2. Double Decker
The other question mark on the Lions offensive line is Taylor Decker’s future at left tackle. At 32, Decker still has plenty of good football left in his body, but he said in December he was considering retirement and might need a couple months to make his decision.
If Decker is done playing, the Lions will get some cap relief they can use in free agency but will have another gaping hole to fill on their offensive line – either by moving Penei Sewell to left tackle or landing a replacement in the draft or free agency. If Decker decides to play another season, the Lions still might target his replacement early in the draft.
3. Shake it to the Maxx
Last spring it was Myles Garrett. In the summer it was Micah Parsons. This year, the disgruntled pass rusher who may or may not be on the market is the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby.
Crosby reportedly was furious about the Raiders’ decision to place him on injured reserve in December and may seek a trade this spring. New Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said in his introductory news conference Tuesday he wants Crosby to be a part of the team’s rebuild, and even if Crosby hits the market it seems unlikely the Lions would have the money or trade capital to afford him.
Unlikely isn’t out of the question, though, and until Crosby’s future is settled, the dream of pairing him with Aidan Hutchinson will live. Crosby is a Michigan native who played at Eastern Michigan, and the Lions have a major need at defensive end with Al-Quadin Muhammad and Marcus Davenport headed for free agency.
4. David Montgomery future
Crosby isn’t the only interesting player who could hit the trade market this offseason. Lions running back David Montgomery could, too.
Montgomery wasn’t happy with his reduced role in the offense in 2025, and Lions general manager Brad Holmes indicated after the season he was open to dealing the running back to a team that would use him more. As a soon-to-be 29-year-old running back with nearly 1,500 carries in the NFL on his body, Montgomery doesn’t have huge trade value, but the Lions should be able to get a Day 3 pick for him if they decide to move on. Of course, that means they’d have to find a replacement to use as Jahmyr Gibbs’ backup, too.
5. NC-17
The Lions project to have eight picks in April’s draft, including No. 17 in the first round and a Day 3 compensatory pick that has yet to be awarded (but no third-round choice).
The 2026 draft is considered light on blue-chip players, but at No. 17 the Lions should be able to land a contributor. It’s far too early to predict with any authority who will be on the board when the Lions are on the clock, but Holmes has always taken a build-through-the-draft approach. He has nailed his top-20 picks so far − Sewell at No. 7 in 2021, Hutchinson at No. 2 and Jameson Williams at No. 11 in 2022, and Gibbs at No. 12 and Jack Campbell at No. 18 in 2023.
6. New coordinator, new offense
It won’t be a radical change, but the Lions will install a new offense this spring under new coordinator Drew Petzing.
Petzing spent the past three years calling plays for the Arizona Cardinals and seems philosophically aligned with coach Dan Campbell in his desire to run the ball and create mismatches. Most of the work he does the next few months will happen behind closed doors, but the Lions report for offseason workouts in April, and have three weeks of organized team activities before their minicamp in June, which should provide a sneak peek of what’s to come on offense.
7. Safety net
Offensive line and defensive end are bigger needs, but the safety position is in flux for the Lions this spring with Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph coming off season-ending injuries.
Branch and Joseph are the best safety tandem in the NFL when healthy, but Branch tore his Achilles in December and could miss the start of the 2026 season, and Joseph is dealing with a chronic knee injury. The Lions probably need to add one starting-caliber safety to their roster for insurance, and might want to bolster their cornerback corps, too, with Terrion Arnold recovering from shoulder surgery. Their late-season defensive struggles were partly a product of poor health in the secondary.
8. Deal days
For the third straight year, the Lions will spend significantly on re-signing their own players to contract extensions. Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Branch and Sam LaPorta are all eligible for new deals for the first time, and at least Gibbs and Campbell should get theirs early in the offseason.
The Lions probably will need more clarity on the health of Branch and LaPorta, whose 2025 season was cut short by back surgery, before handing them big-money extensions. But Holmes has indicated all four factor into the team’s future, and that’s likely where the Lions will spend their bulk of their cash this offseason.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 8 Lions offseason storylines: Is Maxx Crosby available? Who plays C?
Reporting by Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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