The Detroit Lions are currently focused on more immediate goals, like earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and going to/winning the Super Bowl. But the front office always has an eye on the future, and the offseason is not that far away now.
With the big financial commitments they made last offseason, with some more to come, the Lions will have some decisions to make the next couple offseasons. In a big picture sense, they "won't be able to keep everyone."
With an eye on free agency in March, Pro Football Focus has put out a list of their top-50 free agents for 2025.
Three Lions made the list.
PFF top-50 free agent list points to looming decisions for Lions
The highest-ranking Lion on PFF's free agent list is cornerback Carlton Davis at No. 21
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded Davis in the offseason, and he has provided immediate stability to a young, oft-injured Detroit secondary that has seen a strong defensive turnaround even after the loss of Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Aidan Hutchinson.
Davis is PFF's 15th-highest graded cornerback this season heading into the majority of Week 17's action, with top-30 grades in coverage and as a run defender. He is also of course on IR right now with a broken jaw, continuing his run of seasons where he has been banged up. It's easy to just say the Lions should extend him, but it might be more complicated than that.
Guard Kevin Zeitler is the next Lion on PFF's free agent list, at No. 27.
'After spending the past three years in Baltimore, Zeitler joined Detroit, which has been a near-seamless fit. Zeitler's 80.2 PFF overall grade is his best since 2016, and his 78.6 PFF run-blocking grade is his highest in 10 years. The 34-year-old could be a cheap yet effective guard option on the open market."
Zeitler's overall PFF grade is actually 89.2 now, second-best among guards, with an 88.6 run blocking grade. He was a remarkable free agent bargain last March, and he has fully proven it on the field this season. He'll also turn 35 just before 2025 free agency starts. It's safe to assume the Lions would like to bring him back for another year or two, but there will be competition.
The third and final Lion on PFF's top-50 free agents list is defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike (No. 40).
"Onwuzurike has flashed whenever he’s been healthy over his first four seasons in the league after getting drafted one round ahead of recently extended interior defender Alim McNeill in 2021. The former second-round pick out of Washington is the penetrating three-technique interior pass-rusher that every team covets, with his 11.2% pass-rush win rate in 2024 ranking as a top-25 mark at the position.
The biggest thing for Onwuzurike this year has been health, playing in 14 of 15 games thus far. PFF has him graded as a top-35 defensive tackle, and his pass rush win rate (10.9 percent) is top-25 among those at the position who've played at least 10 games this season. The Lions' keeping Onwuzurike will likely come down to what his market bears, and how far they're willing to go if the cost gets high.
Davis, Zeitler and Onwuzurike having a place on PFF's list of top free agents for 2025 points to the noteworthiness of their status. The Lions have key decisions to make on all three, with domino effects if they are not re-signed.