The Detroit Lions have struggled mightily in 2015 and heading into 2016, players like Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford could be out along with head coach Jim Caldwell. Owner Martha Ford already fired the front office of GM Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand and more changes could be coming into next season.
The Lions made the playoffs last year, but the team has taken a major step back this season and now sit at just 1-7 heading into Week 10 after having a bye in Week 9. Ford stepped in last week and decided to make some major changes for the Lions, firing the general manager and team president halfway through the season. According to NFL.com, Jim Caldwell is safe for now, but it's likely there will be some consideration about his future depending on how the season plays out.
The Lions are heading for a bottom five pick in the NFL draft and with a solid quarterback class coming out for 2016, there is a chance the team could move on from Matthew Stafford. Stafford has always had talent and he has put up some really great statistics over his career, but at this point he may not be a quarterback that can lead a team to the Super Bowl. According to Pro Football Talk, the Lions could potentially "dump" Stafford with a "manageable cap charge," as he could be a "post-June 1 cap charge" of just over $5 million in 2016 and 2017.
PFT writes that the team can also release Stafford without that designation and that would cost $11 million and the same would go if the team trades him. While no decisions have been made yet, expect Stafford's future to be speculated on quite a bit heading into the offseason. Calvin Johnson also could end up somewhere else next season, as he is getting older and is pretty expensive for a team that isn't going to scratch the surface of the playoffs. Johnson said he wants to "win here," but there is a chance he could get moved with four years left on his deal.
Caldwell previously fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi to try and shake things up and now Ford has made moves heading into the second half of the season. Caldwell and some of the players could be performing to keep their jobs heading into next year, as a new general manager or president may not want to keep a head coach that he/she inherited. Caldwell looked like he had finally gotten the Lions to turn the corner last season, but the way the team has played this year as washed away any goodwill from 2014.
The Lions are already struggling on defense and the team has now placed linebacker DeAndre Levy on injured reserve and he will be out for the season. According to Pro Football Talk, Levy is dealing with a hip issue and he comes in after signing a five-year, $37.2 million contract, but he only played in one game before having surgery last month. Levy was hoping that he could return for the team this season, but now he will be done for the year and it has been one to forget for Detroit this season.
