With free agency and the draft in the books, the conversation around the Detroit Lions now shifts to another run of looming contract extensions. Four members of a fantastic 2023 draft class are in line for nice second contracts, but some are more clear cut and inevitable (Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell) than others (Brian Branch).
On a different side of contract circumstances, whatever their individual situation is, some Lions players are entering a contract year. Some have had their situation altered by what happened in free agency or the draft, ratcheting up the importance of the 2026 season for them.
Those current contract year Lions will be looking to replicate what edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad did last season. While he probably didn't get the kind of free agent deal he expected this offseason, 11 sacks in 2025 took his career off the ropes and brought opportunities he probably wouldn't have had otherwise.
Heading toward the 2026 season, leaving aside those aforementioned extension candidates and any delay into the season that may happen in those cases, these Lions players are lined up to be playing for a contract.
5 Detroit Lions who are set to be playing for a contract in 2026
5. LB Malcolm Rodriguez
A torn ACL late in the 2024 season sidelined "Rodrigo" into last season, limiting him to seven games and 72 defensive snaps (160 special teams snaps). After coming back to the Lions on a one-year "prove it" deal this offseason, the selection of Jimmy Rolder in the fourth round of the draft feels like the foundation of a plan to replace him in 2027.
A sixth-round pick in 2022, Rodriguez once seemed to have a place in the Lions' future. But his role has changed since his rookie season, albeit with some starting-caliber play before he was injured in 2024 (he was Pro Football Focus' 16th-highest graded off-ball linebacker that season).
Unless injuries hit the Lions' linebacking corps, Rodriguez is in line to have very limited opportunities to show he can be a starter somewhere else in 2027. That said, he needs to make the most of whatever opportunities he gets if he hopes to maximize a very likely entrance into the market next spring.
4. K Jake Bates
Bates is back for a third season as the Lions' kicker after signing an exclusive rights free agent tender in March. He has stabilized a spot that was constantly in flux early in Dan Campbell's tenure.
After making 89.7 percent of his field goals in 2024, Bates regressed to 79.4 percent last season. Less proficiency from long range (4-for-9 from 50-plus yards out) was a difference, but he just generally seemed to be less sharp than he was the previous season.
Bates is set to be a restricted free agent next March, so the Lions have that level of control over his rights for 2027. If he gets back toward the form he showed as a rookie, a multi-year deal to keep him around would become likely.
3. DE D.J. Wonnum
Wonnum signed a one-year, $3 milion deal with the Lions this offseason. He is not a "pin your ears back and get after the quarterback" edge player in the way Muhammad was last season, but he does have that in his game with two eight-sack seasons on his resume.
If Wonnum, even with the presence of rookie Derrick Moore, can be a consistent pass rushing force opposite Aidan Hutchinson, he can set himself up to ride the premium placed on edge rushers to a nice multi-year deal from someone in 2027.
READ MORE: Any Lions excuses ahead of pivotal 2026 season just flew out the window
2. RB Isiah Pacheco
After a promising first two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, injuries set Pacheco off-course over the last two campaigns. He is now set to fill a key role in the Lions' backfield, behind/alongside Jahmyr Gibbs, that yielded 33 rushing touchdowns for David Montgomery over the last three seasons.
The 27-year old Pacheco is inching toward the end of his peak years as a running back, and an "he must be angry at the ground" running style stands to narrow his shelf life a notch or two. With one free agent run now behind him, he might be able to get one really good bite at the contract apple.
Even in what is in line to be a fairly limited role, barring an injury to Gibbs. Pacheco can absolutely re-establish his value in 2026 and put a multi-year contract in play for himself next March.
1. P Jack Fox
Once upon a time, the Lions made Fox the highest-paid punter in the NFL by annual average. Today, entering the final year of that deal, he sits seventh.
After a Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro campaign in 2024, Fox notably regressed in yards per punt last season. But his net average (42.8) was 10th in the league, with the most fair catches forced (26) as half of his punts were downed inside the 20. Effective punting is never solely about raw distance, and Fox's 2025 campaign was easy to overlook for how good it was.
Three punters currently make $4 million or more per year. Fox is set to join the group eventually, and it could happen before he would actually hit the open market next March.
Add us as a preferred source on Google