The Detroit Lions' dreams of qualifying for the 2025 NFL postseason are officially over. Christmas Day's loss to the Minnesota Vikings eliminated the Lions from playoff contention, sending the latter into an offseason where head coach Dan Campbell admits that he and general manager Brad Holmes "will have a lot of decisions to make," per The Detroit News' Nolan Bianchi.
Although the 2025 campaign had some bright spots, a large chunk of the schedule highlighted many areas of the Lions' roster and staff that need improvement. There's a good chance that several individuals won't be around in the Motor City for much longer, including these three Lions with uncertain futures.
1. Alim McNeill, DT
The Lions made a massive financial commitment to defensive tackle Alim McNeill when they signed him to a four-year, $97 million extension back in October 2024. Although that is a large amount, it seemed like a risk worth taking at the time, as the ex-2021 third-rounder had amassed 112 total tackles, eight sacks, two broken-up passes, and a forced fumble in his first three seasons.
Unfortunately, it's been largely downhill since McNeill put pen to paper. The ex-NC State defender tore his ACL against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 of last season, forcing him to miss the remainder of the year and the first six games of the 2025 campaign. Although he's played 10 games since then, he hasn't looked like his old self, only registering 14 solo tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and a broken-up pass. He's also missed 22.2% of his tackling attempts, per Pro Football Focus, while being called for the first three penalties of his career.
That's without mentioning how he's gone from generating quarterback pressure on only 7.2% of pass-rushing attempts this season compared to a rate of 10.3% last year. Even if his regression can be connected to his ACL injury, McNeill is quickly proving that he isn't worth the $71 million in remaining cash that'll be left on his contract after this season, per Spotrac.
Given his declining play and injury concerns, the Lions might look to divorce McNeill this offseason. A post-June 1 trade would create $24 million in salary cap savings while only creating $4.9 million and $12.8 million in dead money in 2026 and 2027, respectively, which might be too tempting for GM Holmes to ignore. In other words, don't be surprised if McNeill isn't in the lineup come Week 1.
2. Kalif Raymond, WR/Returner
Kalif Raymond is currently in his fifth season with the Lions; however, there's a chance that it could be his last in Detroit.
Whether it's been as a wide receiver or returner, Raymond hasn't been able to make his usual impact on offense and special teams. The two-time All-Pro playmaker went from leading the NFL with 413 punt return yards in 12 games last season to only sitting at 208 through 14 games so far. The 7.2 yards per return he's averaging is the second-worst rate he's had and a major drop-off from the career-best 13.8 he averaged in 2024.
It doesn't help that Raymond has been relatively quiet as a receiver. Although he already has more catches (21) and receiving yards (237) than he did last season (17) and (215), his yards per catch (11.3), yards per game (16.9), and yards per target (8.8) are all down because he's played two more games this time around.
That's without bringing up his sporadic usage, playing as many as 44 offensive snaps and as few as two in a game this season. This rollercoaster was on display this week, when Raymond only saw six snaps against the Vikings despite recording a season-best 4-62-1 stat online on 19 snaps just four days earlier.
Raymond has been a solid hand, but he's regressing, and the Lions already have other options who can do his job. Rookie Isaac TeSlaa has firmly cemented himself as a WR3 and a prime red-zone threat, while guys like Tom Kennedy and Jacob Saylors have more than proved that they can handle the return responsibilities.
Unless the Lions can't fathom a world without Raymond on the roster, chances are that the 31-year-old playmaker will be sent packing on a one-way ticket out of Detroit.
3. Kelvin Sheppard, DC
Kelvin Sheppard had big shoes to fill when the Lions promoted him to replace departing defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Even though Sheppard had never held that job before, fans and Detroit's front office were hoping that spending four seasons coaching linebackers under Campbell would give him the necessary experience to succeed.
Much to the believers' dismay, it didn't take long for Sheppard's inexperience to show. As of Saturday afternoon, the Lions are allowing the 23rd-most points (24.8) and 19th-most total yards (336.7) per game, as well as the 18th-most yards per play (18th). They've also allowed 150-plus rushing yards in each of their last three games, as well as 120-plus in six of the last seven, proving Sheppard was wrong when he said that other teams aren't running all over Detroit.
If the Lions had made the playoffs, one could argue that Sheppard deserves a second chance to prove his worth. But that didn't happen. He may not be the sole factor behind Detroit's early offseason, but it's safe to say that his poor defensive planning cost the team multiple times, especially when the Lions have four one-possession losses where they scored 24 or more points this season:
Game | Opponent | Final Score |
|---|---|---|
Week 9 | Minnesota Vikings | 27-24 loss |
Week 13 | Green Bay Packers | 31-24 loss |
Week 15 | Los Angeles Rams | 41-34 loss |
Week 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 29-24 loss |
Again, those defeats aren't all on Sheppard's shoulders, but it's easy to see his role in them. He might learn from these mistakes and improve next season. At the same time, the Lions could be hanging themselves by their own petard if they decide to run things back.
With that in mind, an immediate split this offseason would be mutually beneficial. The Lions and Campbell would get a chance to find a DC who can handle what's asked of him, while Sheppard would have a fresh start to continue his coaching career elsewhere, perhaps with a team where the pressure will be lower. That alone makes it an offseason path worth exploring.