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The Detroit Lions might have had their best season in franchise history in 2024. That probably sounds like an odd thing to say about a team that failed to get back to the NFC Championship like they did the year before, but it is true. Detroit finished the regular season 15-2, which was three games better than their next best season. The Lions also secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, another first in franchise history.
Unfortunately, the Lions were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Commanders. Detroit suffered through a ton of defensive injuries and they finally caught up with them in the most important game of the season.
Now the Lions must transition into offseason mode and try to fix what went wrong in 2024. Thankfully, they have plenty of resources to work with.
The Lions enter the offseason with roughly $45 million in cap space to work with. This gives them enough room to add some pieces in free agency. However, the Lions have several players who could use an extension soon (Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph should be the main priorities) and need to save some space for those contracts.
Detroit also has seven picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including the 28th overall pick.
That is a great start, but the Lions could use more cap space to extend players and bring in young talent. As a result, Detroit may have to make some tough decisions on a few aging players.
Below we will explore the three Lions players who could easily become cut candidates during the 2025 NFL offseason.
This one would hurt, because Dan Campbell and the Lions really love Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Reeves-Maybin was a fourth-round draft pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He survived the entire Bob Quinn era in Detroit and played one season under Campbell. Reeves-Maybin left during free agency for Houston, but ended up returning to Detroit the following offseason.
His claim to fame is his tenacious play on special teams. Reeves-Maybin can play linebacker in a pinch, but it is not his biggest strength. He is 30 years old and about to enter his ninth season in the NFL.
Reeves-Maybin is easily replaceable as a primarily special teams player who is getting long in the tooth. The Lions may look to move on from Reeves-Maybin to get some cap space back before free agency.
If the Lions cut Reeves-Maybin before June 1st, they will save $1.9 million in cap space. They will also take on some dead money, but none of it carries over into the 2026 season.
Detroit could easily replace Reeves-Maybin with a cheaper player who they acquire during the draft or as a walk-on during training camp.
The Lions simply need the cap space more than they need Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Glasgow is another Lions...
