Lions News

[jaadam4]

Naw. They just paid out for OBJ. And let's not forget Lamar's money

They’ll double down.

[Futureshock]

Halapoulivaati Vaitai considered retirement after back surgery

Posted by Mike Florio on May 29, 2023, 9:49 AM EDT

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Earlier this year, the Lions apparently considered moving on from offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai after he missed all of the 2022 regular season after undergoing back surgery. Vaitai apparently considered moving on from football.

“After surgery, I was like, ‘Let me just rest. Let me just enjoy this time,'” Vaitai said recently, via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “And then when I started training again, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not ready to retire yet.'”

Vaitai said the back problem happened quickly, during the third preseason game last August. He said doctors “went in and took something out.”

He’s now fully committed to playing this year.

“I can’t leave all my guys,” Vaitai said, per Rogers. “I can’t leave them. I love this team a lot. I’m going to help [coach] Dan [Campbell] win one.”

The Lions added Graham Glasgow in free agent, partially as a hedge against Vaitai not being healthy.

Vaitai, who turns 30 next month, was a fifth-round pick of the Eagles in 2016. He signed with the Lions in 2020. He’s under a one-year, $3 million deal for 2023.

[Cody_Russell]

I think this depends on what Hopkins wants…
If he just wants a shot at a ring, he can sign with the bills/chiefs for dirt cheap.
If he wants the most money, he can sign with the panthers/packers/Texans.
But if he wants a little bit of both…the Lions are the only game in town.

I have a hunch it will be KC. Briefly mentioned it on the NFL News thread, but I’m sure they’re ways the Chiefs could fit in Hopkins while reasonably paying him.

- Restructure current player contracts and push cap figures down the road.
- Add void years, money up front, and incentive heavy for Hopkins’ deal.

The Chiefs have the worst WR situation among teams mentioned. Elite QB and the Chiefs are a contenders. Oh, and how fun because it will make week 1 a little tougher for our team.

I think the Ravens will somehow pony up

My question about this fit is the Ravens have 3 quality starters at WR right now. OBJ, Flowers, and Bateman. Plus Duvernay is a nice depth piece at WR (our Kalif Raymond basically).

[Futureshock]

What in the Holmes/Campbell era have they shown they would want a locker room cancer like Hopkins. He gave up on his team last year. Has complained about touches, etc... Lions' fans need to stop fantasizing about the player because the person needs to be in a different environment. More importantly, I don't want him nowhere close to Jamo or any of our impressionable players.

[Futureshock]

Cardinals reportedly were unhappy that DeAndre Hopkins sat out last two weeks of 2023

Posted by Mike Florio on May 28, 2023, 8:16 PM EDT

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As the Cardinals hand high-end receiver DeAndre Hopkins to any other team without compensation, some fans might not understand why the Cardinals would do that. Thus, it’s helpful to have a reason for terminating the contract — even if the reason is only surfacing for the first time now.

Kyle Odegard, who previously worked for the team, reports that Hopkins “upset some in the Cardinals organization by sitting out the final two games of the 2022 season even though he was healthy,” and that it might have been “a sticky situation if he remained with the team until the trade deadline.”

This assumes that Hopkins even wanted to stay with the Cardinals. He clearly didn’t, and it had nothing to do with someone possibly being pissed that he didn’t play in the final two weeks of a lost regular season.

Besides, there’s a new regime in Arizona. How many who were there then are there now? The new coaching staff and new G.M. likely wouldn’t have cared about Hopkins making a business decision when business for 2022 had been resolved.

If Hopkins could indeed have played in those final two games, the team had no problem with perpetuating his lie. Before the regular-season finale, former coach Kliff Kingsbury said Hopkins might have been able to play if the game had been meaningful, that the knee injury was “something that’s been nagging him,” and that “we’re just going to be cautious.”

Really, if Hopkins was healthy, the Cardinals put out false injury reports in the final two weeks of the season.

Here’s the reality. Star players who are banged up often sit out of meaningless late-season games, especially when they have no guarantees in their salary beyond the current season. While we’re not doubting whether one or more people within the organization might have been upset with Hopkins for not playing despite the injury, the mere fact of being upset represents another piece of evidence of the dysfunction that currently permeates the organization.

The more simple explanation could be that the Cardinals need to have a reason for cutting Hopkins other than “we don’t want to pay him nearly $20 million this year,” especially if he ends up being a major difference-maker for a new team. And so they seem to be willing to throw a pointless dart at him on the way out the door.

[jaadam4]

What in the Holmes/Campbell era have they shown they would want a locker room cancer like Hopkins. He gave up on his team last year. Has complained about touches, etc... Lions' fans need to stop fantasizing about the player because the person needs to be in a different environment. More importantly, I don't want him nowhere close to Jamo or any of our impressionable players.

As long as Murray is in Arizona that whole place is cancer IMO. I didn’t know Hopkins had issues like that. The reason I’d sign him is that the those first 6 games are absolutely crucial. Williams being suspended is a really big deal. I’d pay the man 15 mil just to help those half dozen games

[jaadam4]

But…. If what you’re saying is true then I doubt MCDC or Holmes would sign him. He’s a helluva player even at this age but they won’t mess up that locker room

[froot loops]

Summer off-season baby!

[Futureshock]

Dan Campbell is 'not into the hype' around the Lions this offseason

[ghandi]

We saw last year what happens when a team gets a false sense of security when they got crushed in an important game in Carolina.....I imagine Dan C wants the team to be sharp every week and not take anything for granted.....There is no such thing as a sure win or an easy win in the NFL.

[froot loops]

People keep on bringing up that Carolina game, but sometimes you just don't have it that day.

[Topweasel]

People keep on bringing up that Carolina game, but sometimes you just don't have it that day.

Agreed. That wasn't a team coming in unprepaired. That was a team that only could do things that the Lions were bad at covering and even smart coaching couldn't pull carolina out of their tendancies, something I give the new Lions and Caldwell coaching credit for, I have seen teams tearing us up in the run and make them think they need turn up the passing game making the games truly closer than they should be. That wasn't a good day for the Lions, was a good day for the Panthers, and was strength against weakness all day long.

[froot loops]

I also think the bad field and their shoes had something to do with it. That might be categorized as under prepared by not having the correct footware. It was telling that Campbell made it a point that they were practicing with the 7 cleat shoes before Green Bay.

[Cody_Russell]

Positive update about Onwuzurike. So you’re telling me there’s a chance… I’m worried how Onwuzurike’s back will react when put in football drills. Trench warfare body movement. But hey, it’s a positive update for now.

It would be ideal if the DTs were McNeill, Buggs, Martin, and Onwuzurike come roster cuts. Jones, Covington, and Onwuzurike fighting for that 4th spot.

[jaadam4]

Positive update about Onwuzurike. So you’re telling me there’s a chance… I’m worried how Onwuzurike’s back will react when put in football drills. Trench warfare body movement. But hey, it’s a positive update for now.

It would be ideal if the DTs were McNeill, Buggs, Martin, and Onwuzurike come roster cuts. Jones, Covington, and Onwuzurike fighting for that 4th spot.

Holy shit. That’s unexpected