NYLion

Well the team, fans and, hell, the city of Detroit needed this. Everybody acting like this was SOL all week was getting tiresome to read.

Beasley acting like he's Lebron or something with "The Decision". Who would have thought before last season that Cade would be on a top 15 player list. He sure has come a long way, hopefully he doesn't get all fat and happy with the new success and keeps working hard to get better.

This is a bit different, there's more question marks than there were the previous few seasons. With that said, it is too early to press the panic button but there are some very real issues that won't be so easily fixed overnight.

I've been saying it all offseason that I think it's going to be a rough start to the season because the Lions aren't nearly as good on the lines which is where most games are won and with the loss of the coordinators and the adjustments that will come with that. I still think it's a playoff team but it's going to take time for it to gel, I just hope the Lions aren't out of it already by the time that happens because the schedule is absolutely brutal and unforgiving.

Yeah, I think Branch is the most likely one they move on from or Jamo. There's a possibility that Branch might be worth $30m/yr if he continues on this trajectory, love Branch and all but you just can't pay two safeties over $50m/yr even in a rising cap world. I know he has versatility but he's not an outside corner and that's where the money should be allocated in the secondary.

I think they might lose two of Branch, Jamo and LaPorta. I think Gibbs will surely get signed, probably Jack Campbell too eventually. They won't be able to pay everybody unless they do some serious cap gymnastics

Yep, that's what I'm thinking or at the very least Hutch wanted Watt and Parsons to set the market until signing which, oh boy, they certainly did. Now we're looking at Hutch getting upwards of $50m if he has a big season which he most certainly will if healthy. The Lions are going to lose a few core guys, we should just come to terms with that.

The schedule, the very young interior offensive line, the defensive line being banged up and the ever present weakness at edge opposite of Hutch (we all know Davenport will be injured at some point). I can see this being a 10-7 or 11-6 season but being one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs once the offensive line matures and Alim is back, although I don't think we'll see him back to previous form until '26-'27. I could see a real possibility that this team has a much worse record than last year but is better going into the playoffs than last year assuming relatively good health.

I hear you, fair enough. The Bengals can ask for that all they want but I don't see a team ponying up that much for a 30+ year old due for a monster extension.

Hutch is going to get over $40m/yr so on a 4 year deal it's likely $160m or possibly a good deal more than that depending on what Parsons signs for if he's up first. Also, Campbell is going to be a huge part of the Lions defense going forward so there's absolutely no way he's being traded for anything most likely and certainly not for a 30 year old Hendrickson due for a huge extension. Adding a 1st? No chance no way no how.

I don't see Jamo as expendable. He, along with Gibbs, has the most unique skillset on the entire Lions roster. If he indeed has improved his route running like the early returns in Training Camp indicate he has, he's going to be almost unstoppable. I don't think the cap is as tough to navigate as you think it is, these big contracts are on different timelines so as the new deals to the new wave of Jamo, Branch, Gibbs, LaPorta etc. kick in, the older contracts of Goff, Sewell, Kerby and ASRB will take up a lesser percentage of cap plus money can be pushed to later years etc. If Brad makes a splash move bringing in a guy from outside the organization, then the Lions will have to part with a core member or two but, as of now, I don't see why they have to dump Jamo because of supposed cap restraints. The X Factor is Teslaa who I'm a big fan of but it's a big leap to think that he can replace what Jamo can bring but if IF he becomes like a Puca lite type then that gives the Lions options but, again, that's quite a stretch to expect that from him next season when the Jamo decision needs to be made

Based on what? If he continues on this trajectory I'd argue that he's the highest priority signing left of the core outside of Hutchinson and maybe Gibbs. I don't think it's a guarantee by any means that they extend Jamo but I'd say it's more than 50/50, Holmes takes care of his guys his core guys. As for Parsons, why are we even discussing this? Holmes doesn't even want to pay Za'Darius Smith lol so he sure as hell isn't giving up the massive picks package for Parsons and then signing him for $40m+/yr. All these guys that request trades get signed and I expect the same for Parsons, Hendrickson and McLaurin.

Jamo is due for a big breakout, you could see it coming last year. The potential Jamo extension is one of the reasons why they can't trade for a guy like Hendrickson, it's going to be a big one.

I think the Lions are going to have a down season. Injuries/retirement/players leaving/lots of unproven rookies have made both lines big question marks going into the season, add in one of the toughest schedules I've ever seen and I can easily see this being a 9-8, 10-7 season. I do think they'll be a dangerous team if they get into the playoffs but it's going to be a real grind this season.

Good news to get the TPE and even better news to not get Monk, nice tidy piece of business by Langdon to gain some flexibility this season.

I've never rooted so hard for a player exception. Langdon can't possibly be this shortsighted to take back Monk and his ugly contract, right? RIGHT?

Good fit, best shooter on the market to replace Beasley. Not a great contract but that's free agency for ya. So I look at it this way, Levert replaced Schroder, Robinson replaced Beasley and Ivey replaced THJ. Sideways move, sizeable downgrade, significant upgrade.

Levert isn't a PG but he will probably take on some ballhandling responsibilities, Sasser might get back in the rotation, and/or they might stagger Cade and Ivey's minutes which is what they did some of last season before Ivey went down. I think they need to replace Beasley's shooting, it was a big reason why they won a number of games last season and I don't see Lanier being ready to bring what Beasley brought.

The Pistons are absolutely worse, Beasley and Schroder saved their bacon many times last season when Cade was a turnover machine in the 4th and nobody else could hit a shot. Depending on young player development, this is a worse roster than last season. As expected, Ivey is the key to all of this. If he comes back at 100% continuing his trajectory of last season then the Pistons can be a playoff team but if he's not the answer I could see a step back next season.

The Pistons were lucky that the news came down before free agency. Now they can move forward without Beasley in the fold. It would have been brutal had this came out a week or two later after he was signed and all the quality free agents were locked up. I hope they don't think Lanier can fill the role, that's a pretty big void that needs to be filled.

I see that Dumars and Weaver are still absolute clowns, that trade is so bad that it's beyond words. I don't see much of a difference between Newell and Queen and that pick they send to Atlanta is almost certainly going to be a top 10 pick. Incomprehensible

I put very little stock into what GMs say in a presser but it's pretty much in line with what I expected the Pistons to do. There was some real chemistry with the group and with a talent like Ivey returning to an ascending team, I fully expect Langdon to run it back to see how this group grows together. Personally, I have some reservations. I'm unsure of the Ivey fit and I think the Pistons record was a little inflated by them beating up on a lot of mediocre to bad teams. I could see a little regression tbh as they now have expectations which is tough for some young teams to live up to after a breakout season. Also, Beasley was their 2nd best player often times last season, that's unsustainable. Ivey needs to be the real deal and/or Ausar or Holland need to take a big step forward.

I don't know how they're going to pay everybody. Hell, we're talking about the Pistons with 1 big contract and how they're going to pay everybody or anybody for that matter. It's almost impossible in the new NBA with the aprons to keep a core intact coming off of rookie contracts. Presti will find a way though, he always does.

Obviously Frank retiring is an enormous loss but it's not only his loss, it's losing Zeitler, both coordinators, Hutch getting back up to speed, likely not seeing a healthy Alim until the season after and a killer schedule to beat. I have a lot of belief in Dan Campbell but the Lions could miss the playoffs this season. The offensive line is their engine and with so many question marks on it and a new offensive coordinator, it could be a struggle this season relative to the last few.

Cade is being paid to be a superstar player, he's the guy you are hoping to lead a championship core so I think it's fair to question if he is indeed a #1 option on a championship contender going forward when he continually got outplayed in the clutch while also acknowledging that this was his first playoff so we should give him time. It's an honest concern to have based on what we saw in this series. Putting antics aside, look at what Brunson did. That's what you need from a star to take the game over, Cade really hasn't proven to have a killer instinct yet in his career. He's a very good player but the Pistons need him to be a star going forward or their ceiling is limited. I do think it's hard to really judge him because the supporting cast with Ivey in particular out was undermanned but I'd like to see more take over mentality from him going forward, he's just too lackadaisical at times.