Best Contract: Jack Campbell Is a Straight-Up Heist
This is such a team-friendly deal for the Lions that it borders on theft. Campbell is one of the top linebackers in the league, and he gave Detroit a hometown discount that would make your grandmother proud.
Not only did he say he didn’t need to be the highest paid linebacker in the NFL, but the cap hits he took are ridiculously low. This allows the Lions to still sign other players and get extensions done without breaking the bank. It’s a pretty sweet deal that opens the door for restructuring down the road if needed.
When a Pro Bowl linebacker decides he’d rather win in Detroit than cash out somewhere else, you know Brad Holmes has built something different here. Campbell could have gotten more money elsewhere. He stayed. That tells you everything about where this franchise is headed.
Worst Contract: Do the Lions Actually Have One?
Here’s the thing about trying to find Detroit’s worst contract. It’s like trying to find the ugliest sunset. Sure, one might be less spectacular than the others, but we’re still talking about sunsets here.
You might bring up Alim McNeill or Kerby Joseph. Two players who got big deals and then had injuries. But even those deals were actually pretty solid when they got done. Both players could very well return to form, and if they don’t, Holmes built in escape routes.
The Lions have a built-in out after the 2026 season for McNeill because they front-loaded the dead money. Joseph’s deal is less generous in that regard, but the cap hits are very low until Detroit could potentially move on after the 2027 season if needed.
Obviously, if Joseph can’t play or struggles long-term, that deal will look unfortunate. So that makes it the closest thing to a bad contract on this roster. But we’re talking about degrees of good here, not actual disasters.
Outside of those two, the Lions have been smart about how they structure deals. There are no Albert Haynesworth-type disasters lurking in Allen Park. When your worst contract is a safety who might bounce back from injury, you’re in pretty good shape.
This is what competent front office work looks like. Remember when we used to hand out massive deals to aging veterans who were already cooked? Yeah, those days are over.
Think Holmes has cracked the code on building a sustainable roster, or are we one injury away from cap hell? Drop your take below.
