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Full list of Detroit Lions free agents heading into 2025 offseason

Originally posted on Side Lion Report | By Brad Berreman | Last updated Jan 19, 2025 12:36 PM ET

The Detroit Lions are moving into their offseason far earlier than they planned after a Divisional Round loss to the Washington Commanders. A 15-win regular season that earned them the No. 1 seed in the playoffs will not even yield a postseason win.

Last offseason, the Lions took care of a lot of notable contract business for core players (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jared Goff, Taylor Decker). The next couple offseasons will be more of the same, as players the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell regime has drafted continue to graduate into second contracts that better represent how they've performed.

So that leaves some tough decisions to come in free agency, under the idea of "you can't pay everyone." Even in as good a salary cap position as the Lions are, next year's team will look different (and perhaps very different in some spots) than this year's team.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the list of 2025 free agents for the Lions, starting with a guide to what each label means.

Unrestricted free agent (UFA): Any player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract; free to negotiate and sign with any team.

Restricted free agent (RFA): A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. RFAs are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them one of various qualifying offers ("tenders") that come with the right of first refusal and/or draft-pick compensation. If the tender is withdrawn by a team, the RFA becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Exclusive rights free agent (ERFA): Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.