6 Lions Immediately on Thin Ice to Begin 2025 Offseason

After the best regular season in franchise history, the Detroit Lions suffered an extremely disappointing loss to the Commanders at Ford Field on Saturday. The season is now officially over and the Lions have a ton of important offseason decisions to make.

While the Lions are still close to making the Super Bowl, they need to nail the 2025 offseason. Not only will they likely have to replace their offensive and defensive coordinators, but they need to consider making upgrades in various key positions. Let's take a look at a few members of the team who are on thin ice heading into spring.

DE Za'Darius Smith

The big trade deadline move for the Lions was to acquire veteran pass rusher Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. Detroit gave up a fifth- and a sixth-round pick to bring in the three-time Pro Bowler for the second half of the season.

Considering how decimated with injuries the Lions defense was at that point, trading for Smith made a ton of sense. As mid-season trades rarely prove to be as fruitful as they do on paper, Smith was largely a dud during his Detroit tenure.

Smith was particularly disappointing in the loss to Washington. In 40 defensive snaps, Smith received a 39.8 PFF grade with a miserable 27.9 run defense and 24.8 tackling grades. He failed to register a sack, QB hit, or a tackle for loss while missing two tackles for the game.

Smith is under contract for another season for a $5.7 million cap number. The Lions can get out of this salary this offseason and wouldn't have any dead money on the books. They should seriously consider this as they look to revamp their defensive unit for next season.