Lions reveal a surprising addition to team captain list ahead of 2025 season

As the Detroit Lions prepare for the 2025 season, which is opening at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, the team announced their six captains for the season.

Aidan Hutchinson, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Alex Anzalone, and Grant Stuard will all wear the coveted "C" for Detroit this season.

Grant Stuard earns his first captain nod in his first season with the team. Stuard, who was Mr. Irrelevant in 2021, has been a special teams standout since coming into the NFL. Stuard has been a consistent piece for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, coming into his own as a linebacker with the Colts in 2024.

This season, Stuard has expanded his role, adding returning kicks to his arsenal of weapons. As a result, he completely blew up his value to the team for the better. Stuard replaces Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who is now a free agent after spending the past two seasons with the team.

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This is likely the most surprising name added to the Lions' captain list this year. Stuard is new to the squad, and saw a ton of playing time in the preseason. However, if you caught any of those contests, you know just how hard Stuard played at both linebacker and as a punt returner. He earned his C in earnest.

Goff and Anzalone are captains for Detroit for the 5th season in a row. Both players were brought in by general manager Brad Holmes in his first season. Goff and Anzalone have become cornerstones in the Lions rebuild and are the teams leaders on both sides of the ball.

Sewell and St. Brown earn their "C" for the 3rd straight season. Like Goff and Anzalone, Sewell and St. Brown joined the Lions in 2021 becoming the foundation of that year's draft class. St. Brown and Sewell are both fresh off their 3rd consecutive Pro Bowl honors, and each player earned their 2nd consecutive All-Pro honors.

Aidan Hutchinson earns his 2nd consecutive "C", coming off a broken tibia and fibula injury that ended his 2024 season. Hutchinson, now healthy, is primed to become the NFL's next best pass rushers as the 2022 2nd overall pick has totaled 28.5 sacks in 39 games, including 7.5 sacks in 5 games.