Detroit Free Press

It’s pretty well known at this point: the Detroit Lions are in the beginning stages of a rebuild. New general manager. New head coach. New quarterback. The reset button has been pressed in Allen Park. And so, fans will be looking toward the future, which isn’t exactly a new concept for Detroit sports fans these days.

The Detroit Lions on Monday announced this year’s Family Fest will take place Saturday, Aug. 7 at Ford Field. The event is free and open to the public, but fans must register for a ticket at www.detroitlions.com/familyfest. The Lions, who played last season without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, begin practice at 11:30 a.m., but gates open

Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is underrated. No, wait, he’s overrated, with a recent ESPN poll ranking him the sixth-best quarterback in the NFL. And, well, that’s outrageous, sacrilege even. Quarterbacks are supposed to win! Stafford didn’t win a single playoff game during his 12-year run in Detroit! And, well, you get the idea. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you don’t

When the Detroit Tigers selected high school pitcher Jackson Jobe with the No. 3 pick on Sunday, it kicked off an unprecedented run of draft for Motor City teams: Thanks to NHL expansion, COVID-19 delays to the seasons and MLB’s attempt to put its draft in the All-Star Game spotlight, Detroit teams will take part in

The Detroit Lions confirmed Monday they will welcome full capacity crowds to Ford Field during the 2021 NFL season. Fans were not allowed at home games last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the state lifting restrictions over the spring and summer, a return to full crowds was expected. The state stopped limiting capacity

A bidding war among tech and media giants is about to kick off over premium streaming content: NFL games. NFL Sunday Ticket, a package that includes all the National Football League’s Sunday games (except for those blacked out locally), has been a fixture for satellite TV service DirecTV. But it’s widely thought DirecTV, which AT&T

They were standing on a street corner in West Lafayette, Indiana, outside a Fiesta Mexican Grill, when Melissa Gonzalez told her then-boyfriend, David Blough, she thought she could compete against the best track athletes in the world. Gonzalez had just finished a less-than-fulfilling track career at Texas, but wasn’t ready to give up the sport

No love for Jared Goff and Jamaal Williams? Don’t anticipate Alex Anzalone or Breshad Perriman bringing more wins to Motown? You’re not alone. The Detroit Lions, despite an offseason overhaul, still rank among the league’s worst rosters to just about anyone making those lists. New general manager Brad Holmes has been busy, leaving no position group,

Deadlines are funny things. Sometimes they take on more importance as they approach. Sometimes people listen a little more keenly as each passing stroke of the clock grows louder. But sometimes it’s hard to tell how much a deadline even matters when two sides remain at a long-standing impasse in their relationship. I went to

In two decades of retirement, Detroit Lions Hall of Famer Barry Sanders has had plenty of time to practice his golf swing. But he admits his swing isn’t on par with pros Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, and others who also participated Tuesday in the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s AREA 313 celebrity scramble. “It was good. I hit a good

After a year away from the fans, they’re back. On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions announced that they are welcoming fans back to Lions training camp presented by Rocket Mortgage. For the 15th straight season, camp will take place at the team’s facility in Allen Park, starting July 31. Fans will be allowed at practice on the

Detroit’s “Big Four” professional sports teams — the Lions, Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers – have combined to win 22 championships over the past 120 years. And though it’s hard to believe, considering the city’s recent playoff drought — the last postseason victory by any of the four, a 2-0 win by the Wings over the

I have to laugh. After all those years of Detroit Lions coaches offering careful and measured praise during the start of their tenures working with Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay has taken a completely different direction . Since the Rams mortgaged their future to acquire Stafford for three draft picks (including two first-rounders),

The Detroit Lions report for training camp in a little over a month. When they do, they will have a number of position battles to sort out. Some are obvious. The No. 5 receiver spot and starting safety job opposite Tracy Walker seem completely up for grabs. Some may not even materialize (looking at you,

Brad Holmes worked for four different general managers during his 18 years with the Los Angeles Rams. Whenever change happened, he was given a chance to prove he was worth keeping around. And when he took over as Detroit Lions GM earlier this year, Holmes wanted to afford that same opportunity to those in the

His dad always made sure he had the trendiest things, fiberglass skateboards and new dirt bikes that were the envy of the neighborhood. But one of the best gifts Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes ever received was the weight set his father, Melvin, bought him in eighth grade. Holmes kept the weights on the screened-in

If Todd Gurley wants it, the Detroit Lions have one open roster spot that is his for the taking. The Lions signed quarterback Jared Goff‘s former Cal teammate, wide receiver Chad Hansen, on Thursday and waived undrafted rookie Jonathan Adams. The Lions currently have 89 players on their 90-man roster, a situation they have been in

Before they break for summer, the Detroit Lions finished a few final pieces of contractual business. The Lions signed second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike and fourth-rounders Amon-Ra St. Brown and Derrick Barnes to slotted four-year rookie contracts Thursday. GM TALK: On his ‘intention’ of keeping Matthew Stafford, new-look Jared Goff As the 41st pick of the draft,

Before they break for summer, the Detroit Lions finished one final piece of contractual business. The Lions signed second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike to a slotted four-year rookie contract, the team announced Thursday. As the 41st pick of the draft, Onwuzurike’s contract has a total value of $8.1 million, including a $3.3 million signing bonus, according

Had Matthew Stafford not gone to Rod Wood and Sheila Ford Hamp and requested a trade in early January, he still would be the Detroit Lions starting quarterback today. General manager Brad Holmes told the Free Press in a sit-down interview this week that he had no intentions of shopping Stafford until he learned of