Detroit Lions: Predictions for five important free agents

With the 2020 NFL season officially in the books, NFL teams will begin to turn their attention to the offseason, which is never short on dramatic and suspenseful developments. The Detroit Lions have already been very busy, and they still have a  long to-do list as they continue a major franchise renovation.

Already in place are a new management team led by rookie general manager Brad Holmes, and a new coaching staff featuring head coach Dan Campbell. Oh yeah, and they also agreed to trade starting quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams. Even with that dizzying flurry of moves, there is much more to accomplish.

The Lions are coming off of one of their worst defensive seasons in franchise history, one in which they set records for most points and yards allowed. There will need to be a multitude of changes made to that side of the ball, and it will surely take more than one offseason to fix that unit’s woes.

They also need to replenish a receiving corps that could lose its three top contributors, as well as decide which underachieving veterans still under contract for 2021 they could decide to cut loose. Tough, but necessary decisions.

They are currently slated to have six selections in this year’s draft; they will have an extra pick in the third round once the Stafford trade officially goes through in March. They are also estimated to be just slightly over the 2021 salary cap.

Of importance as well are the looming decisions on whether or not to pursue re-signing a host of their own free agents. Clearly, not all of them will be back in 2021, and here, we will examine the cases of their top five players whose contracts will expire in just over a month.