Alright folks. That's it. Season's over. We aren't making the playoffs. This offseason, the Lions pulled a fast one on the rest of the NFL and inked MOTHER EFFIN' SHAUN HILL to a new contract so that he can continue making all sorts of crazy helmetless first down runs. As far as I am concerned, the Lions are now Super Bowl favorites because. Just because.
But seriously, the Hill signing was simply indicative of a general trend for the Lions' front office this offseason. For the most part, they kept the gang together, hoping to build off of last year's successful season. Bringing back OT Jeff Backus and S Erik Coleman gives the Lions a few short term patches to some long term needs.
The big news this offseason, though, has got to be the contract they gave to WR Calvin Johnson. Topping off at $132 Million over eight years, the contract could potentially keep him a Lion for the rest of his career. That's a lot of money, but remember, we as 49er fans considered it a success when we held Johnson to just over 100 yards. Dude's good.
The Lions only really brought in CB Jacob Lacey, so as to replace CB Eric Wright, and DE Everette Brown. For the most part, I would argue that the Lions have a solid Defensive Line. The addition of a cornerback, however, is huge for the Lions, especially with Wright leaving. One of the biggest areas of need that the Lions may look to address in the draft is in the secondary, at both CB and S positions.
In terms of the draft, I would also argue that they could target a long term solution at T. The resigning of Jeff Backus helps stem the bleeding, but that o-line could use on upgrade.
Depending upon how Javhid Best plays next year, and potential injury problems, the Lions might also take a gander at some RB options.