Detroit Free Press

Tyler J. Davis | Detroit Free Press The way Todd McShay sees it, the Detroit Lions are locked into a wide receiver with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. In his second mock draft released Wednesday, McShay predicted the Lions would pick DeVonta Smith, the Heisman Trophy-winning Alabama wideout. Smith racked up 1,856

Carlos Monarrez   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson in Hall of Fame: Was it a heated debate? Detroit Lions reporters Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez discuss Feb. 8, 2021, Calvin Johnson’s Hall of Fame election, the process and future HOFers. Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press Congratulations

Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press Dan Campbell played 11 NFL seasons before getting into coaching, but when it comes to long playing careers, the new Detroit Lions head coach has nothing on some of his assistants. Mark Brunell, the Lions’ new quarterbacks coach, played 19 seasons with five different teams, including one with Campbell on the

Jim Reineking   | USA TODAY Terez Paylor, a senior NFL writer for Yahoo Sports and Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, passed away unexpectedly, his fiancée Ebony Reed said Tuesday. He was 37. Paylor joined Yahoo Sports in 2018 after previously working as a sports reporter for the Kansas City Star. “While we are shocked and

Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press Jared Goff may not be the long-term solution at quarterback, but the Detroit Lions are counting on him to be their starter in 2021 and that is enough to convince one prominent analyst that the team will not go quarterback with the No. 7 pick in April’s draft. “My

Bill Dow |  Special to Detroit Free Press As part of his series on former Detroit sports figures, Bill Dow caught up with former longtime Detroit sports broadcaster Ray Lane who celebrated his 91st birthday on Tuesday. How we remember him As one of the most versatile and respected Detroit sports broadcasters ever, Lane at various

Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press Calvin Johnson did not need my help. Let me get that out of the way first. Johnson, the greatest receiver in Detroit Lions history, was announced as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s star-studded Class of 2021 over the weekend, and he got there on his own

Jeff Seidel   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers knows AJ Hinch is ‘going to be hard on me’ Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers speaks Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, about his expectations for this season and relationship with manager AJ Hinch. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press Dillon Dingler was

Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press It was shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22, when Calvin Johnson saw the silhouette of a hulking figure outside his Birmingham home. Johnson had just finished a call with business associates and was on a semi-regular FaceTime with family members when there was a knock at his

Dave Birkett   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Here’s who Detroit Lions will play in 2021 NFL season A look at the Detroit Lions’ 2021 opponents, home and away, in what is expected to be the NFL’s first 17-game regular season. Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press After five years of being estranged from

Kirkland Crawford   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Lions make a huge statement, sending Stafford to Rams for Goff, picks Dave Birkett, Shawn Windsor and Carlos Monarrez break down the Detroit Lions’ trade, sending Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff and draft picks. Dave Birkett, Shawn Windsor and Carlos Monarrez, Detroit

Ryan Ford | Detroit Free Press Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson was announced Saturday night as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. The selection comes in his first year of eligibility for the Hall, and he’s the first modern Lion elected to the Hall since Barry Sanders in

Carlos Monarrez   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Nate Burleson breaks down Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford trade. Who won the deal? Former Lions WR and current NFL Network and CBS TV personality Nate Burleson joins Dave Birkett to discuss the Matthew Stafford trade, Jared Goff & more, Feb. 2, 2021. Dave Birkett, Detroit

Ryan Ford | Detroit Free Press Any Lions fan who watched Calvin Johnson play over his nine seasons in Detroit couldn’t have been surprised the wide receiver was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Of course, Johnson was too busy playing to watch himself, which explains his reaction to football’s highest honor,

Dave Birkett   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Nate Burleson breaks down Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford trade. Who won the deal? Former Lions WR and current NFL Network and CBS TV personality Nate Burleson joins Dave Birkett to discuss the Matthew Stafford trade, Jared Goff & more, Feb. 2, 2021. Dave Birkett, Detroit

Ryan Ford   | Detroit Free Press Detroit shone in the NFL spotlight when it hosted Super Bowl XL 15 years ago, on Feb. 5, 2006. Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the 15th Super Bowl since that ’06 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. Here’s a

Carlos Monarrez | Detroit Free Press I wanted to believe him. I really did. “He’s the guy here,” Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola said. It was my fourth season covering the Lions in 2009. They had won 10 games total in my first three years on the beat, and 2009 was looking like another disaster. Matthew Stafford

Carlos Monarrez   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Nate Burleson breaks down Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford trade. Who won the deal? Former Lions WR and current NFL Network and CBS TV personality Nate Burleson joins Dave Birkett to discuss the Matthew Stafford trade, Jared Goff & more, Feb. 2, 2021. Dave Birkett, Detroit

Ryan Ford | Detroit Free Press Today marks the 15th anniversary of Super Bowl XL, when the NFL’s biggest spectacle visited the city that was home to a franchise which had never qualified for it. (And, yes, still hasn’t.) On Feb. 5, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in front of 68,206

Dave Birkett   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Nate Burleson breaks down Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford trade. Who won the deal? Former Lions WR & NFL Network TV personality Nate Burleson joins Dave Birkett to discuss the Matthew Stafford trade, Jared Goff & more, Feb. 2, 2021. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press The