Pride of Detroit
A look at the most important 2025 NFL offseason dates for the Detroit Lions.
With the sudden loss to the Washington Commanders, the Detroit Lions offseason is sadly upon us. The team will look to build upon this year’s performance and hopefully make that Super Bowl push we were all hoping for this season.
As always, the NFL offseason is filled from January to August with several significant events, deadlines, and dates to ensure that there never truly is a lull in football news and developments. Here are the most important offseason dates, and how they pertain to the Lions.
Jan. 20 — NFL Divisional Round losers can have their coaches interviewed/hired
Had the Lions defeated the Commanders, the Lions coaches would not have been able to interview until they were eliminated—or in the week between the Conference Championship and Super Bowl. Unfortunately, now that the Divisional Round is over and the Lions are eliminated, all Lions coaches are now free to interview and sign with any team. Expect both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to explore second, in-person interviews this week.
Jan. 28-30 — Senior Bowl practices
General manager Brad Holmes will only get a week to relax before jumping back into the scouting process with the annual Senior Bowl beginning next week.
Feb. 1 — Senior Bowl game
The Senior Bowl game will be televised on NFL Network at 2:30 p.m. ET
Jan. 30/Feb. 2 — 2025 Pro Bowl games
The Lions had seven players named to the Pro Bowl and another 11 alternates who could end up going. The skills competition is on Thursday Jan. 30 (7-8:30 p.m. ET) and the game is on Saturday, Feb. 2 (3-6 p.m. ET). Both will air on ESPN.
Feb. 6 — NFL Honors award show
At 9 p.m. ET, the NFL will air their annual awards show. At this time, finalists haven’t been announced, but Lions coach Dan Campbell is expected to be a finalist for Coach of the Year.
Feb. 18 — Franchise/transition tag window opens
Teams can start designating their selections for the franchise or transition tag (difference explained here). The Lions haven’t used the franchise tag since 2018 (Ezekiel Ansah), and there are no real candidates to get it this year, with Carlton Davis (estimated franchise tag value $20.36M) being the closest.
Feb. 24 - March 3 — NFL Combine
While this event is about NFL Draft prospects, it’s also the time in which the media often meets with new Lions coaches. That could be a significant offseason moment considering the coaching changes expected.
March 4 — Franchise/transition tag deadline
If a team plans on using the franchise tag, this is the last day they can use that designation.
March 10-12 — Free agency “legal tampering period”
Starting March 10 at Noon ET, teams can start negotiating with agents of players who are set to become unrestricted free agents. Oftentimes players will “agree to terms” with their new teams....
