Lions Insider Makes Perfect “Go All In” Case
Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
One of the biggest talkers of the Detroit Lions offseason is their impending roster crossroads. As a team that seems nearly ready to win it all right now, they also face an extremely difficult cap situation in 2026. How can Brad Holmes bridge these two realities?
As fans and media debate the possible approaches to this crucial moment, one Lions insider makes an extremely solid case for focusing on the here and now.
Sports Illustrated’s John Maakaron joined the Crunch Time Sports Podcast to talk all things Detroit Lions offseason. In between thoughtful responses about pending free agents and roster construction, he took a moment to lay out the case for going all in in 2025.
“I’m of the opinion that when you have the ability to evaluate talent, when you have the ability to establish what you want in a player you can go find it…my personal opinion, I don’t care about sustained success. I feel like that’s code for let me stay relevant and not have to put my nuts on the table and declare when we’re going to win. This is the year that Brad Holmes has to cash it in because I don’t want to be the Bills, I don’t want to be the Steelers. I don’t want to go multiple years where you don’t get to the Super Bowl.
I think now you have to ascend to the point where you compete to win the Super Bowl otherwise blow it up and start over until you can decide that you can consistently try to get to the postseason and win.
I think the Lions…in the past when they would fall off, they’d fall off for a decade. Now, if you win a Super Bowl, let’s say in ‘25, you can you know slow it down a little bit in ‘26, you can kind of you know compete, but maybe don’t have to win it, then you can get back at it in ‘27 ‘28. I think that there’s going to be in my opinion multiple windows with Brad Holme. But first you gotta satisfy the need. This fanbase has never experienced the lions in the Super Bowl so it’s a different position than other teams. This has NEVER EVER happened. The Lions have never been in the Super Bowl so get that out of the way, do what you can and I think… I would have more respect if they took a swing and said all right let’s go get a Myles Garrett let’s go get Tee Higgins let’s go add…as many talented players as possible, three four more players that are all world to this roster in 25 [an it] gives you the chance and I don’t care if 26 you got to lop off some guys because of the cap. [At least] you took a swing.
I’m not patient… because in my opinion, and this will be the thing that upsets everybody, you only have sustained success in the NFL, and history will tell you sustained Championship success, is if you have the best one or two quarterbacks in the world and you don’t have that. You don’t have Mahomes, you don’t have Lamar, you don’t have Josh Allen so you’re not gonna be a four, five, and six year Super Bowl winning team. You’re going for one and then you start all over. That’s just the facts.”
Although I’m not as firm on the go for it and then start over, John is pretty spot on here. 2026 odd gonna be some version of a reset no matter what, no reason to be scared of a larger reset of it means you can take a legit all in chance.
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