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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions CB Amik Robertson Suffers Broken Arm

January 19th, 2025 at 7:51am CST by Adam La Rose

JANUARY 19: After the Lions’ upset loss, HC Dan Campbell announced that Robertson suffered a broken arm and would undergo surgery (via Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website). Robertson’s injury was the last in a laundry list of maladies afflicting Detroit’s defense this season, which ultimately proved too much to overcome.

As relayed by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Robertson’s surgery went well, and he is expected to be ready for offseason workouts.

JANUARY 18: The Lions entered Saturday’s game with injury concerns at the cornerback spot. The team’s secondary has now suffered another notable loss.

Amik Robertson exited Detroit’s ongoing divisional round game against Washington early in the contest. He has quickly been ruled out as the result of an elbow injury, and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero notes he has been taken to hospital for further evaluation. The Lions will be shorthanded to an even further extent moving forward as a result.

Carlton Davis is out for tonight and is not expected to return to the lineup even if Detroit makes it to the Super Bowl. His absence has been sorely felt since he suffered a broken jaw in Week 15, and Robertson was leaned on heavily down the stretch as Detroit locked up the No. 1 seed. Especially with second-round rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr. inactive despite having been activated from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game (and with Emmanuel Moseley on the NFI list), cornerback will be a spot to watch closely for the Lions.

Terrion Arnold suffered a foot contusion in Week 18, but Detroit’s win in that game gave the team a first-round bye. Having benefitted from the extra rest time, the Lions’ top pick in April’s draft is healthy and taking part in Saturday’s contest. He along with Kindle Vildor will be counted on the rest of the way while the team awaits updates on Robertson’s status.

The 26-year-old played out his rookie contract with the Raiders ahead of his first trip to free agency. Robertson signed a two-year, $9.25MM pact to head to Detroit, and he provided his new team with roughly the same contributions in terms of snap share as his old one this year. The Louisiana Tech product posted 50 tackles and eight pass deflections across 17 games in his debut Lions campaign. Whether or not he will be an option to play next weekend (if applicable) will depend his prognosis.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/18/25

January 18th, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves, including stand gameday practices squad elevations for the weekend’s remaining divisional playoff games:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

Aaron Glenn A HC Candidate In Dallas?

January 18th, 2025 at 4:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Compared to the other open head coaching positions, we have heard relatively little about the possibilities in Dallas. So far, the names connected to the Cowboys are few and far between as the team has interviewed just two candidates and only has one other interview on the schedule. That makes it noteworthy to see Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reporting Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as “a name to watch closely” in connection to the job.

Like his coworker on the offensive side of the ball in Detroit, Glenn’s name has been an extremely popular one in multiple searches for a new head coach around the league. He has been mentioned as a candidate for every other open position, already having interviewed with the Jets (1/9), Raiders (1/10), Saints (1/10), Bears (1/11), and Jaguars (1/11) and declining an interview with the Patriots. While New York has reportedly been extremely interested in adding the 52-year-old to lead their staff, so far, the Saints have been heavily linked as a favorite to land Glenn.

Dallas, on the other hand, has been fairly inactive in their search after they got a late start on the process. They’ve interviewed their former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator and current Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (1/17) and former Jets head coach Robert Saleh (1/18), and they have an interview scheduled with former Vikings head coach and current Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier for Monday. They’ve shown interest in two collegiate head coaches, but North Carolina’s Bill Belichick remains committed to the Tar Heels, and the interest in Colorado’s Deion Sanders has not resulted in anything substantial as of yet.

A Houston native, Glenn played for four of the teams with open jobs (Jets, Cowboys, Jaguars, and Saints) as a cornerback in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The proximity of Dallas and New Orleans to his hometown could be factors in their relevance during his job search, as well. He also spent time on the coaching staff in New Orleans for five seasons as defensive backs coach before landing the coordinator job in Detroit.

Glenn is perhaps the most sought-after coach in this coaching cycle, as evidenced by his connection to every open job so far. The Cowboys will need to make up some ground on a number of teams that have over a week’s head start on courting Glenn in order to contend for his services. Team owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones, though, reportedly holds Glenn in “especially high regard,” so their pursuit may be starting soon.

NFL Coaching Rumors: Johnson, Orlovsky, Sanders

January 18th, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Ely Allen

There has been a bit of criticism in recent days over the interview process for head coaching candidates on playoff teams as coordinators for the Lions, Bills, Chiefs, Eagles, and Ravens have all been participating in interviews during their free time throughout the week. Many of the teams looking to fill head coaching jobs will be watching the Lions’ game against the Commanders tonight, as the results could be a big catalyst for things to come.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, if Detroit were to fall to the Commanders tonight, a chain reaction could result for coaching jobs as a mad dash would be incoming to complete in-person interviews with both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. If the Lions continue to win, though, it could continue to stall the hiring process until both coaches become available for in-person interviews.

In anticipation for this expected interest, Johnson has hired a new agent, Rick Smith of Priority Sports, per Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Smith will likely be apprised of what Johnson’s preferences are and will be fielding phones calls for second interviews as soon as he becomes available.

Johnson has interviewed for the Bears’, Jaguars’, and Raiders’ open positions, as well as the Patriots’ job that was filled by Mike Vrabel. He has not been mentioned as a candidate in New Orleans or New York, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter doesn’t believe he’s in play for the Cowboys’ job.

Here are some other coaching rumors from around the league:

  • One media name has been floating around coaching rumors as former NFL quarterback and ESPN personality Dan Orlovsky has expressed interest in entering the coaching world. Orlovsky claimed on the Pat McAfee Show that he’s “had conversations with places about stuff in the coaching world.” While he’s very happy with his place on television, ESPN jobs are pretty unstable, as we’ve seen in recent years, and Orlovsky admits that if the right situation presented itself, he would be open to exploring it. Later in the week on the show, Schefter confirmed that Orlovsky has been communicating with teams in search of any positions that may fit the bill and interest him. Orlovsky’s interest would be more in the realm of a quarterbacks coach or perhaps even an offensive coordinator gig, but nothing substantial seems to be forming as of yet.
  • There’s been a lot of momentum lately on Colorado head coach Deion Sanders as a candidate for the Cowboys‘ open position. One hurdle mentioned has been a roughly $10MM buyout that could certainly be a deterrent in landing his services. NFL Insider Josina Anderson recently pointed out another hurdle in the process. In order to formally interview Sanders, the Cowboys would need to obtain approval from the school’s athletic director, Rick George, and inform the league office.

Ben Johnson Remains Interested In Jaguars’ Head Coaching Vacancy

January 17th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

11:03pm: ESPN’s Adam Schefter as well as Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz both echo the sentiment that Jacksonville remains under consideration in Johnson’s situation. They also note the Bears could be a team to watch on this front, something which will of course remain the case until Chicago makes a hire.

10:40am: In recent days, the Raiders have emerged as the presumed destination for Ben Johnson with respect to his high-profile head coaching candidacy. The Lions’ offensive coordinator still has other suitors, of course, and the Jaguars are among them.

Prior to the news strongly tying Johnson to Vegas, Jacksonville was reported to be “all in” on hiring him. Neither the Raiders nor the Jags have made a hire yet, and Johnson will of course not be available to officially take the position with either franchise until the Lions are eliminated from the playoffs. In-person interviews with coaches whose team’s seasons have ended can take place once the divisional round ends; Johnson could participate in such a meeting with interested teams during the bye week leading up to the Super Bowl should the Lions make it to the title game.

As the watch for further developments on the Raiders front continues, Bovada’s Josina Anderson reports Johnson remains interested in “exploring” the Jaguars’ vacancy. She adds the Jags continue to ask about how a potential Johnson-led staff would look, an indication that feeling is still mutual. Jacksonville moved on from an offense-oriented head coach (Doug Pederson) at the end of the season, but doubling down on that side of the ball would of course be a move aimed at – among other things – maximizing quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s potential.

Anderson adds that Lions pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand would likely be a name to watch regarding potential offensive coordinator hires in the event Johnson were to take the Jaguars’ gig. Hiring an experienced defensive coordinator would be expected in that event, per Anderson, something which would come as no surprise given the team’s struggles on that side of the ball in 2024. Jacksonville owner Shad Khan and general manager Trent Baalke (who, to the surprise of many, was retained but may see another front office staffer added during the hiring cycle) will need to pivot to other candidates if Johnson drops out of the running or lands elsewhere. This connection still persists as the 2025 coaching landscape takes shape, though.

Via PFR’s HC search tracker, here is a look at Jacksonville’s situation:

Raiders Preparing Big Ben Johnson Offer?

January 16th, 2025 at 11:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears and Jaguars have superior quarterback situations to the Raiders, who have a major question to answer entering the offseason, and Ben Johnson has been one of the choosiest coordinators in recent memory. As Chicago and Jacksonville remain in the mix for Johnson, buzz persists about Detroit’s OC giving strong consideration to the Raiders.

Tom Brady‘s presence has driven this, with Mark Davis giving the quarterback-turned-announcer/part-owner a significant say — perhaps the lead voice — as the team searches again for a new head coach and general manager. Brady has had his eye on Johnson for a while, beginning an effort to bring him to Las Vegas when covering the Lions in Week 9.

The more aggressive stage of this recruitment began last Thursday, the same day the Raiders fired Tom Telesco, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. While not confirming Johnson called for the Raiders to fire their GM, Florio lends more in the direction of Johnson wanting “alignment” as he determines a potential landing spot. The reporting coming out of the Telesco firing had Brady playing the lead role, determining Telesco needed to go to bring in the team’s next HC and GM on the same timeline.

It is unlikely Johnson’s desire for alignment and Brady’s determination the Raiders needed to start fresh is a coincidence, and Florio adds the Raiders may have already dangled a “massive” offer to the three-year Lions play-caller. The Raiders have not yet met Johnson face-to-face, with only virtual interviews allowed with candidates tied to other teams until Jan. 20. The team cannot meet with Johnson until the Lions are eliminated (or the Super Bowl bye week, if Detroit books its first Super Bowl berth), but Brady is still with FOX and is set to call the Commanders-Lions divisional-round game Saturday night. This conflict of interest could benefit the Raiders, as the analyst certainly could make a point to speak with the high-profile coordinator.

Davis is not among the league’s wealthiest owners, but he did authorize a 10-year, $100MM Jon Gruden contract in 2018. Johnson was also linked to a $15MM-per-year salary ask during the 2024 offseason. Coaching salaries are not public, but Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton are believed to be earning between $15-$20MM and are classified as top-five-salaried HCs (or in that ballpark). The Raiders’ QB situation and their struggles finding a coach during Davis’ ownership tenure may required a monster offer near this neighborhood, even if Johnson has not proven a successful head coach yet like Payton and Harbaugh have.

The Raiders cannot match the Jaguars or Bears’ QB setups just yet, and Davis has Brady set to play perhaps the lead role — especially now that Telesco’s gone — in fixing the roster’s biggest problem. Las Vegas hold the No. 6 overall pick. The team also faces Harbaugh, Payton and the two-time reigning champion Chiefs twice a year; it went 0-6 in those games this season. For Johnson to turn down the Commanders and give this much consideration to the Raiders certainly would appear to show Brady’s impact on this process. Other candidates remain in play for the Raiders, but everything to this point suggests Johnson is the clear favorite.

Lions’ Derrick Barnes, Carlton Davis Out For Season; David Montgomery To Return

January 16th, 2025 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 16: Montgomery is off the Lions’ injury report altogether for their Commanders matchup. The Lions will also have Arnold ready to go for the divisional round, as the cornerback has shaken off the injury sustained in Week 18.

JANUARY 7: The Lions’ injury activation puzzle continues to come into focus. Dan Campbell shed light on some of his players on IR and those rehabbing injuries while still on the active roster. Good and bad news has emerged.

Chiefly, David Montgomery‘s dodging of a season-ending injury — the feared scenario when Detroit’s starting running back went down in Week 15 — is close to producing a return. After Montgomery took part in a full workout before the Lions’ Week 18 game, Campbell said (via the Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers) he expects the recently extended RB to be ready for the team’s divisional-round matchup.

Generally, when “team fears”-driven headlines surface, bad news emerges. This represents a rare positive development from that place, and the Lions now have two more weeks to prepare Montgomery to reform his elite tandem with Jahmyr Gibbs, who thrived as the team’s starter in the veteran’s stead. Gibbs is coming off a four-touchdown performance in the Lions’ dismantling of the Vikings. As a result, Gibbs’ backfield mate has more time to recover.

While Gibbs took on a bigger role this season, Montgomery still totaled 775 rushing yards and 12 TDs in 14 games. Montomgery also became a far more significant part of Detroit’s passing attack, amassing 341 receiving yards after totaling just 117 in his first Lions season. The team gave him a two-year, $18.25MM extension weeks before his MCL injury.

Montgomery does not factor into the Lions’ IR-return puzzle, having been kept on the active roster. Otherwise, he would have needed to wait one more week to return. Linebacker Derrick Barnes does, but Campbell said neither he nor Carlton Davis will be expected to play again this season. Barnes has been on IR since September with a knee injury. The Lions had not ruled him out, pointing to a potential late-season reemergence. Like D-lineman John Cominsky, however, no comeback is likely.

This is a tough blow to a former Day 3 pick in a contract year, and Barnes had started 26 games for the Lions since being part of the first Campbell-Brad Holmes draft. That included three starts this year. While Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez are done for the season, Alex Anzalone‘s return alongside Jack Campbell made a difference against Minnesota. Barnes’ injury activation place could be allocated to rookie DB Ennis Rakestraw. Campbell said the second-round pick is likely to be ready to go soon, Rogers adds. Rakestraw, a cornerback chosen 61st overall, suffered a hamstring injury during a late-November practice. The Missouri alum would represent some insurance, having only played 46 defensive snaps this season, for a position group battered by injuries.

Davis sustained a broken jaw in Week 15, and while the Lions did not place the trade pickup on IR as hope existed regarding a potential 11th-hour return, Campbell said (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) that is unlikely. Acquired in a package that brought a third-round pick to the Bucs, Davis started all 13 games he played for the Lions. He is heading toward free agency. Turning 28 just last week, the former Super Bowl LV starter should be expected to command extensive interest.

The Lions saw free agency addition Amik Robertson play quite well in relief Sunday night, operating primarily on Justin Jefferson and largely neutralizing the Vikings superstar. The former Raiders regular has started the past three games in place of Davis, playing alongside first-rounder Terrion Arnold. Being unable to put weight on his injured foot upon leaving the Lions’ Week 18 tilt, Arnold suffered a foot contusion. While Campbell stopped short of confirming Arnold would be back for Round 2, the fourth-year HC called the rookie’s prognosis “positive.”

Ben Johnson ‘Seriously Considering’ Raiders; Latest On Tom Brady’s Impact

January 15th, 2025 at 11:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has placed significant restrictions on Tom Brady during his time as a broadcaster. Since the future Hall of Fame quarterback is now part-owner of the Raiders, he is prohibited from speaking attending practices, traveling to clubs’ facilities or doing onsite interview prep with coaches ahead of broadcast assignments.But a loophole may influence the Raiders’ coaching search.

Brady will be in Detroit for FOX’s divisional-round game (Commanders-Lions), and he would have a chance to both closely evaluate Ben Johnson (and Lions DC Aaron Glenn) and continue speaking with a coach who looks to be — at this juncture, at least — the Raiders’ early favorite.

Raiders-Johnson momentum is building, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Clearly residing as a frontrunner here, Johnson is “seriously considering” the Raiders, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes. In predicting fits, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson placed Johnson in Vegas.

While Mark Davis is technically atop the organization, it is widely believed Brady is running the team’s HC and GM pursuits. A report pointed to this search being “Tom’s show,” and Tafur offers more in that direction by adding that the minority owner was heavily involved in the decisions to fire Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco last week. Telesco was ultimately canned because the Raiders wanted to start fresh rather than pair a new coach with a holdover GM.

It is abnormal for a part-owner to have this much influence in searches of this magnitude, but Brady’s stature in the game makes him a special case. The 47-year-old exec’s presence is believed to have driven Johnson to add the Raiders to his interview list. The Lions’ OC has been picky about jobs since first joining a coaching carousel in 2023, and he famously backed out as the Commanders’ frontrunner last year. For Johnson to then be open to taking a Raiders job despite the lack of a quarterback presence and considering Davis’ lack of patience with coaches in recent years, it would certainly say a lot about Brady’s ability to recruit.

Las Vegas may be eyeing a Detroit-centric plan, with Tafur adding Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark is believed to have an early leg up on the competition for the GM job. This would be an interesting development, as Newmark has not received an interview request just yet. Packers exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, Steelers staffer Sheldon White and ex-Brady Michigan teammate John Spytek — a Buccaneers assistant GM — are the interviewees thus far. Spytek held early momentum as a candidate to watch; Newmark making up ground would be interesting due to his history.

Although Newmark left for Washington in 2024, he spent more than 20 years as a Detroit exec. That obviously covers the time Johnson has spent with the franchise, and Tafur adds the Raiders view Newmark as a staffer who could pair well with the 38-year-old play-caller.

Brady began vetting Johnson when he did a Week 9 Lions-Packers broadcast, Tafur offers. This would obviously be an unusual way for a franchise to gather intel on a candidate, and it obviously calls Brady’s FOX role into question as far as objectivity goes. Considering the steam Johnson has gained with the Raiders, the ongoing Brady conflict-of-interest subplot will continue Saturday.

Johnson is still in play for the Bears and Jaguars’ jobs, and while it is not known if the teams have him as a favorite, Mike Vrabel being off the carousel leaves Johnson as the hottest candidate based on history and the Lions’ dominant season on offense. The Jags are believed to be heavily interested. Johnson cannot conduct any second interviews until a Super Bowl bye week, or if the Lions are eliminated earlier.

For Johnson to back out of the Commanders’ search only to join the Raiders would represents a borderline coup for Brady, and it would add even more intrigue to a division that has seen tremendous coaching talent join Andy Reid in recent years. Johnson would join Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh in the AFC West. The Raiders still have interviews to go through, and Johnson’s past should remind this is not a done deal. But this much noise about the situation is certainly interesting this early in the process.

2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-11-25 (11:40am CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

49ers Notes: Ward, Kittle, Juszczyk, OL

January 15th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers are heading into a pivotal offseason, headlined by oncoming negotiations with Brock Purdy on a long-term extension.

Among the 49ers’ pending free agents is cornerback Charvarius Ward, who has started 46 of the team’s 51 games since joining on a three-year, $40.5MM contract during free agency in 2022. Only one of those absences was due to injury, though. The other four were personal: Ward stepped away from the team for three weeks after his daughter, Amani Joy, passed away in October, and later sat out in Week 17 to welcome a son, Charvarius Jr.

Ward acknowledged that the personal tragedy he endured this year may impact his decision to return to San Francisco in 2025.

“I’ve got a lot of trauma in California,” Ward said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). “I had a lot of great times, but the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, that’s probably going to ever happen to me — knock on wood — happened in California.”

Ward’s free agency situation is a glimpse into how players’ personal lives – not just the desire for money or championships – can factor into their career decisions.

“It can just bring up bad memories,” continued Ward. “Every time I get on a plane and come back to California, Santa Clara, San Jose, and show up here, it just brings up bad memories.”

Ward’s girlfriend does not want to live in California after the tragedy, further pulling him away from San Francisco. The couple had their son in Dallas, where Ward began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Cowboys. They are on his list of desired destinations in free agency, along with other teams in the south where he grew up and attended college.

The 28-year-old hasn’t ruled out a return to the 49ers, saying that general manager John Lynch has talked to him about re-signing, but he’s not sure they can afford him. San Francisco already signed Deommodore Lenoir to a five-year extension worth just under $90MM after using a second-round pick on Renardo Green in last April’s draft.

Ward should be able to match or beat Lenoir’s contract as an unrestricted free agent. He was excellent in 2023, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro selections, and his step back in 2024 is perfectly understandable considering his personal tragedy. Though the 49ers are projected to have $46.5MM in cap space this offseason, per OverTheCap, another top-15 cornerback deal might not be available with multiple other contract situations to figure out.

Here is the latest out of San Francisco:

  • For example, the 49ers may be considering an extension for All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who set league records with his last extension. His $15MM per-year average set a new high for tight ends at the time of signing (2020), and his $75MM in total money remains the most in the position’s history. He is “all ears” to ideas from the 49ers front office and emphasized that he wants to stay in San Francisco for the rest of his career, per Wagoner.
  • Fellow offensive chess piece Kyle Juszczyk also hopes to stay in San Francisco, according to Wagoner. The veteran fullback took a pay cut last offseason and will count for $6.5MM against the 49ers’ salary cap in 2025. He could be a cap casualty this offseason, but Kyle Shanahan will be hard-pressed to find another player who can fill Juszczyk’s diverse role in the offense. He’s earned eight straight Pro Bowls since signing with the 49ers and will likely remain a crucial part of their offensive attack.
  • The 49ers also have a few offensive line spots to evaluate this offseason. Right guard Aaron Banks is expected to price himself out of San Francisco after last year’s explosion in the position’s free agency market. Ben Bartch is also a free agent, but he will be cheaper to retain and could take over for Banks in 2025. At center, meanwhile, the 49ers will likely stick with veteran Jake Brendel, but 2022 sixth-rounder Nick Zakelj could factor into the team’s future plans, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
  • The 49ers almost added another cornerback last offseason, pursuing now-Lions defender Amik Robertson in free agency, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Robertson opted for a two-year, $9.25MM deal in Detroit, where he managed to avoid the defense’s injury bug to appear in 17 games, including three starts to end the regular season. He is now set to play a major role in the Lions’ postseason push for a Super Bowl.
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