Despite the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the Detroit Lions should once again have an explosive offense with Jared Goff under center. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta simply provide the Lions with a ton of firepower to keep them as one of the best offenses in the NFL.
On top of it all, the Lions added two more wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft. Isaac TeSlaa, as the third-round pick, is understandably getting most of the attention but seventh-round pick Dominic Lovett has also shown intriguing flashes throughout OTAs, potentially teasing a bigger role than expected.
While it's hard to be sure of this until the pads come on in training camp, the Lions could have two rookies playing significant snaps on Day 1. This means that veteran wide receiver Kalif Raymond could now be expendable.
WR/PR Kalif Raymond Is Now Expendable for the Lions
Raymond's value mostly comes in the return game, to be sure. He has made two All-Pro second teams in the last three years thanks to his effectiveness as a punt returner. However, during his first two seasons in Detroit, he has had a bigger role on offense as a deep-ball threat and has emerged at times as the WR3. In those two seasons, Raymond put up 1,192 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Last season, however, was a down year for the veteran WR. He had a smaller role on offense, going for 215 yards and two TDs in 12 games. Considering that he will turn 31 before the season, Raymond's decline in the passing game may continue.
This isn't to suggest that Raymond will be traded or cut before the season. The Lions agreed to a contract restructure with him in the offseason, increasing his cap hit to $6.95 million for this season while taking away his void year for 2026 to give themselves more future flexibility. Detroit will likely choose to keep their return man for another season, but a $6.95 million cap hit for an almost exclusively special-teams player is obviously a lot.
With the emergence of Lovett and TeSlaa, the Lions will likely want to keep their WR room younger and more dynamic. Raymond will stick around for a little while, but the combination of his cap hit, expiring contract, and potential age-related decline makes his future in Detroit a questionable one.